


Honour Before Love

by maddy_snape



Category: Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-22
Updated: 2011-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-19 16:56:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddy_snape/pseuds/maddy_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during Lord of the Rings, Legolas returns to Rivendell to report the escape of Gollum after betraying his lover, Elrond, two hundred years previously. *MPreg*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honour Before Love

Chapter One - Return to Rivendell

Legolas rode in through the gates of Rivendell head held high. He was determined not to show the quaking fear that was in his heart at the thought of those he must face. It did not help that the first he encountered were the dark-haired twins, Elrohir and Elladan.

'Why on Arda are you here?' was the unfriendly greeting he received, but still he knew it was more than he deserved. Gracefully Legolas dismounted and pulled the reins over the horse's head so he could lead him.

'I have come with news for your father,' he replied.

'I doubt that there is anything from your mouth that our father would wish to hear.' Elrohir spat. Two pairs of grey eyes, so much like their father's that it made Legolas ache, glared at him.

Any reply he could make was superseded by the arrival of the twin's foster brother.

'Legolas!' came the cheery greeting. 'I had not expected to see you again so soon.' *And certainly not here*, he thought.

Legolas let go of his horse's reins and hugged Aragorn, pleased to see perhaps the only ally he had left in Rivendell. Aragorn was too young to know the events that had led to the prince's disfavour here, and he sincerely doubted that any had spoken of it to him, especially not Elrond.

'It is good to see you again, old friend,' Legolas said with pleasure, ignoring the snort that these words elicited from Elladan. 'I am afraid I do not come with good news though. There is much darkness in Mirkwood these days and events have caught us unaware.'

'There is much darkness everywhere,' Aragorn replied gravely. 'But your timing is excellent. Tomorrow Elrond has called a council meeting scheduled to discuss many serious matters. Perhaps your news would be best discussed there?'

'I expect you are right, Aragorn, but I think I should at least let Lord Elrond know what events have transpired in Mirkwood before the council.'

Aragorn nodded his head, containing his surprise that Legolas wished to see his foster father. He knew that there was no love lost between King Thranduil and Elrond, but it had never been explained to him why exactly this seemed to have been inherited by his son. The prince's name was never spoken in front of Elrond and more than once he had heard his foster brothers muttering darkly about him. Even his beloved Arwen would not discuss the matter, only telling him that it was in the past and nothing good could come of him knowing.

It was all very mystifying to Aragorn. He genuinely liked Legolas and believed he would make a good king if his father ever decided to leave for the West.

Aragorn beckoned to a groom standing nearby to take Legolas' horse to the stable.

'I will show you the way to Elrond's study,' Aragorn said.

'I know the way well, but I would still appreciate your company.' Legolas replied, once again surprising Aragorn.

'You have been here before?' he blurted out, without thinking.

Legolas gave him a strange look.

'I spent much time here when I was younger,' he said, his tone indicating that was all he would say on the subject.

Lord Elrond sat in his study, lost in thought. The hobbit, Frodo, brought great danger to his realm and, though he knew what must be done, he did not know who would have the courage and strength of mind to carry it out.

He was interrupted by a quiet knock at the door, followed by the entry of his oldest friend, Glorfindel.

'Is something wrong?' Elrond asked with a frown. He had requested specifically not to be disturbed this afternoon.

'Prince Legolas has just entered Rivendell. I believed you would want to know.' Glorfindel replied evenly.

Elrond could not hide the faint start that this news brought. It had been over two hundred years since he had last seen that particular fair face and, though the rational part of him tried to argue that this was not long enough, the romantic part desired to look upon him one more time. Without meaning to, Elrond fell into the past.

 

Flashback

 

'I will be back before the first snow,' the golden-haired elf promised, dropping fervent kisses on his lover's face.

Elrond held the strong, slim body against him, not wishing to ever let him go. He had a strange foreboding about this trip, but how could he ask his love not to visit his sick brother?

'I must go,' Legolas murmured. 'I have many miles to cover today.'

'Hurry back,' Elrond whispered sadly, hating himself for the weakness he could not hide. 'My arms and our bed will be empty without you.'

Legolas pressed one more kiss to his lips.

'I swear I will be back as soon as I am able.' And with that he had left his Lord's arms, mounted his horse and rode away.

Never to return.

End of Flashback

 

Glorfindel recognised the faraway look in Elrond's eyes and left quietly. He knew his Lord had never really recovered from Legolas' betrayal, only hidden it better. He hoped the young Prince was not here to cause more trouble, as he was not sure Elrond could survive that again...

Elrond came back to the present when he heard the door quietly close and realised he was alone. He silently cursed himself for not being able to hide his feelings from his friend. If he couldn't do that, then how on earth would he be able to face the one that had caused them?

He found he was soon to find out when there was another knock at the door.

'Enter,' he said firmly.

The door opened and there stood his golden prince, looking as beautiful as the day he had gone away. He stood up as Legolas approached the desk.

'Welcome to Rivendell, Prince Legolas,' he said formally, offering his hand to the younger elf.

'Greetings, Lord Elrond,' Legolas replied equally formally, reaching for the outstretched hand. Both felt the tingle as skin met skin, but neither acknowledged it.

Aragorn watched the stilted meeting from the doorway, his confusion heightening. They seemed almost afraid of each other, to his way of thinking, which seemed strange as he thought they hated each other. That was why he had hovered in the doorway - to stop things if they got out of hand.

'You may go, Aragorn,' Elrond said calmly, his eyes flicking to him briefly, before returning to the one in front of him.

Aragorn nodded and closed the door, determined to find either the twins or Arwen and get the truth out of them. However, his plans were abruptly changed by the appearance of Glorfindel.

'Is Legolas in there?' Glorfindel asked sharply.

'Yes he is,' replied Aragorn. 'And he and Elrond were acting very strangely.'

'Hardly a surprise,' Glorfindel said, the worry plain on his face. 'Do you know why he's here?'

'Apparently he brings bad news, but I know not what.'

'Just his coming here is bad news enough,' the elf muttered under his breath, turning away from Aragorn as if to leave. Aragorn quickly put a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder and turned him back.

'Why will no one tell me what's going on?' he hissed angrily. 'I thought they loathed each other, but all I saw was fear.'

Glorfindel studied his face carefully.

'At first, no one spoke of it because you were too young and we did not believe the past would affect you, but then, when Elrond learnt of your friendship with the Prince of Mirkwood, he did not wish to interfere. He did not want you to be influenced by past deeds and feel that you had to give up your friend.'

'Why would I feel the need to give up my friend? Did Legolas do something terrible to Elrond?' Aragorn asked in disbelief. He found it hard to believe that his gentle friend would be capable of hurting anyone outside of combat.

'Yes, he did the most terrible thing he could to Elrond,' Glorfindel said sorrowfully.

'What?' asked Aragorn impatiently.

'He left him,' the elf replied simply. 'He chose to honour his father's wishes over the love he felt for your foster father.'

Aragorn stared at Glorfindel in amazement.

'They were lovers?'

'Yes, but it went far beyond that...it was very intense. In all the thousands of years I have lived I have never seen anything like it before or since. Which makes Legolas' decision all the more difficult to understand.'

'Then why did he leave?' asked Aragorn in confusion.

Glorfindel sighed. 'I have already said more than I should and I do not know all the reasons. If you wish to know more, I suggest you speak to Legolas.'

'I'll do that,' said Aragorn, determination written on his face. 'I will get to the bottom of this.'

The tension in the air in Elrond's study was palpable. For several long seconds they stared at each other until Elrond broke the silence.

'Please, sit down,' he said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk.

'Thank you,' Legolas replied, pulling the chair out and sitting down.

'I take it there is a reason for this visit,' Elrond said evenly.

Legolas surveyed him with solemn eyes.

'Yes, there is. I'm afraid I bring grave news from Mirkwood. The creature, Gollum, entrusted to our keeping, has escaped.'

'Escaped!' exclaimed Elrond, unable to hide his dismay and displeasure. 'How could you let that happen?' he asked accusingly.

'I'm afraid we were too kind to him,' Legolas replied solemnly. 'Though we guarded him day and night, we allowed him into the woods to climb a tall tree he favoured. A guard was set at the bottom so he could not escape. Then, one day, he refused to come down and the guards did not wish to climb up after him; so they sat by the tree into the night. It was that night Orcs came upon us and though we drove them off, we discovered afterwards that Gollum was gone and his guards were slain or taken. It would seem that the attack was made for his rescue.'

'This is indeed a most serious occurrence,' Elrond said with vexation. 'Your guards must have been very lazy and careless to allow themselves to be caught so.'

Elrond was startled when Legolas jumped from his seat and slammed a fist down on the desk. Nor did he expect the anger flashing in those usually gentle blue eyes.

'My younger son was one of the guards that was killed,' he hissed. 'He was neither lazy nor careless. Do not dishonour my family by speaking such words.'

Aghast, Elrond also rose.

'I'm sorry, my words were thoughtless,' he apologised. 'They were spoken out of anger at the situation, not those involved. I am sure any son of yours would have fought bravely to the end.'

Legolas gave him a strange look that Elrond could not decipher, before bowing his head and staring at the desk.

'He was very young,' Legolas replied, voice thick with some inner conflict. 'That was why he was assigned to the job. It was not considered dangerous...' his voice broke. Instinctively Elrond circled the desk and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to ignore the inappropriate arousal that awakened at their close proximity.

'It must be terrible to lose a child,' he said softly, unable to stop himself thinking of how he might lose Arwen to Aragorn and mortality.

Legolas turned his head to look at him, that strange look back in his eye.

'He died honourably in battle,' Legolas replied in a low voice. 'Others have suffered worse fates...'

Elrond was slightly shocked at the callous attitude. If he had not seen how emotional Legolas had been a moment ago, he could almost believe he did not care. Suddenly he realised what he meant.

'You mean your brother, don't you?'

Legolas looked away into the distance, a faraway look on his face.

'No one should have to die like that,' he said in a hoarse whisper. 'I watched him waste away before my eyes. There was nothing anyone could do to save him from the poison once it had taken hold.'

 

Flashback

 

The snow had come and gone from Rivendell, the leaves had once again greened the trees, but still Elrond heard no word from Mirkwood. He had sent many messengers, but all had been turned away before they could even enter the forest. It seemed that Mirkwood had shut itself away from the rest of Middle-Earth.

The snow had once again started to fall before he heard anything. Elladan and Elrohir had insisted on going to Mirkwood to try their luck, knowing how much it hurt their father to not have Legolas with him.

Elrond looked up eagerly when his sons entered his study. They had been away longer than any of the other messengers, so he was full of hope that they brought tidings of his beloved.

One look at their faces filled his heart with dread.

'Is he alive?' Elrond asked, fearing the answer.

'Yes, he's alive,' Elrohir replied. 'Unfortunately his brother is not.'

'Glarand is dead?' Elrond asked in disbelief. 'How can that be?'

'He never recovered from the sickness that took Legolas home. But that's not all...'

'What?' demanded Elrond, losing patience.

Elrohir swallowed hard. 'As he is now crown prince, Legolas decided that...He felt that...'

'Oh for Elbereth's sake, Elrohir!' interrupted Elladan in disgust. 'Father, what he's trying to say is that Legolas has no plans to return to Rivendell. What's more, he has since married the elf-maiden who was betrothed to his brother and they already have a son from the union.'

The twins looked on in horror as their father went pale and tried to stand only to fall back down, eyes closed.

'How could you just blurt it out like that?' Elrohir said in anger to his elder brother. He rushed to his father's side. 'Can I get you anything?' he asked anxiously.

'No,' said Elrond in a barely audible whisper. 'Just, please, leave me be.'

'But father, we can't leave you like this,' began Elrohir anxiously.

'Just get out!' he replied in a louder voice. 'I need to be alone.'

As his sons left, Elrond sunk his head in his hands, his mind filled with images of his beloved. Images that now included a beautiful wife and a gurgling baby son. At that moment he hated all three of them...

 

End of Flashback

 

Elrond's grip on Legolas' shoulder tightened as he relived the past.

'Your brother was a good and noble elf,' he said thickly. 'He is sadly missed.' Indeed he had been one of their chief supporters when their relationship had become known to King Thranduil, and had argued vehemently for him to let Legolas follow his heart. The result had been a brief two years of happiness for them. 'But enough of old sorrows, when there are such terrible new ones. Tell me, how do your wife and other son bear up under the loss?'

'Alemi is full of grief,' Legolas replied dispassionately. 'He was her favourite and the loss is almost unbearable to her. Jarab...he blames himself, believing that he should have been able to save his brother. Though truth be told he could have done no more than he did, he killed many Orcs that day and I am proud of him.'

'Why are you here?' Elrond asked suddenly, dropping his hand to his side. Legolas could not help but notice the vague sense of loss even through his surprise at the question.

'As I have told you, to inform you of the escape of Gollum.'

'Anyone could have conveyed that message,' the Lord of Rivendell replied gently. 'I mean why are you here when you should be at home grieving with the rest of your family?'

'I did not wish to grieve anymore,' he replied stiffly. 'I wished to *do* something. There is far more going on here than the escape of one creature and I wish to help in any way I can.'

'But surely those in Mirkwood need you...'

'They do not need me,' replied Legolas sharply. 'Alemi has more than enough willing comforters and Jarab is strong and understands my wish to help. He would have come with me if I had allowed it.'

'And why didn't you?' Elrond asked curiously.

A look of regret crossed the younger elf's face.

'He is too young and my only heir...and there are other reasons that I cannot discuss.' Legolas replied evasively. There was a very good reason why he did not want Elrond and his son to come face to face, but certainly not one he could reveal...

TBC

 

Chapter Two - The First Day

After a few more minutes of talk involving Elrond inviting him to the Council the following day, Legolas took his leave of the Lord of Imladris, not sure whether he was relieved or disappointed that Elrond had made no reference to their previous relationship. He knew he wasn't the only one to feel the spark of attraction that was still there, however inappropriate it seemed in these dark times.

Once outside the study, Legolas was immediately met by Glorfindel, who was hovering anxiously. He looked relieved to see Legolas.

'Welcome back,' Glorfindel said neutrally. 'I have had a room prepared for you if you would like to follow me.'

Legolas nodded his head, too emotionally wrought at the encounter with Elrond to care how the other inhabitants of Imladris acted with him. Even during such a brief meeting he had still felt the pull as strong as ever between him and his former lover and he could not help but torment himself with wondering if Elrond had felt it as well.

He followed Glorfindel in silence, noting with faint amusement that he had been given a room as far from the family wing as possible. He wondered whether this was Glorfindel being diplomatic or his way of subtly stating his own disapproval. He decided there was only one way to find out.

'So Glorfindel,' he began conversationally. 'Do you loathe me as much as the twins?'

For a moment the Eldar looked taken aback at the bluntness of the question, but quickly recovered and looked at Legolas thoughtfully.

'I cannot say your visit will give me any pleasure - in fact I believe it will cause much anxiety - but I do not hate you. There is far too much else happening in the present to worry about that particular past.'

'I understand that there is far more going on than we at Mirkwood are aware of?' Legolas replied in a half-question.

'Yes, but that must wait for tomorrow's Council.'

Legolas found little comfort in his former friend's words and they remained in silence until Glorfindel stopped at a door.

'This is your room, your things have already been brought here,' and then, with a slight bow, he left Legolas alone.

With a sigh Legolas opened the door to find a comfortable room with his few belongings already packed away. He had not brought much with him through partly believing that he would be turned away before he got in the door and partly because his need to get away from his father's kingdom had been so overwhelming he had packed as quickly as possible.

He threw himself down on the large bed and could not help but think of his first visit to Imladris all those years ago. When his father had sent him there to see if a union between himself and Arwen would be possible

Flashback

Legolas rode up to the house of Elrond in a mixture of fear and anticipation. He had heard much of the beauty of Lady Arwen and desperately hoped she would stir his flesh where no other maiden had succeeded.

Nervously he followed the servant through to where Arwen and her father were waiting to greet him. As he entered the room, he stopped dead, transfixed by the vision before him: the dark, cloudy hair; the fine, intelligent eyes; the elegant figure...

Suddenly Legolas knew exactly what he had been missing in his three hundred years, but what should have been a joyous occasion, filled him with despair. For it was the Lord of Imladris who had captured his heart before he had even set eyes on the maiden he had come to court.

Somehow he got through the day without, hopefully, giving himself away. He had tried to limit his glances towards Lord Elrond as much as possible, but it would seem his eyes were drawn to him like a magnet. Every movement, every intonation seemed magical to him and the fair maiden beside him seemed to fade in comparison. Legolas' heart was heavy: there could never be a marriage between himself and Arwen. He knew his father would not be pleased.

As early as possible he had begged fatigue and retired to his room, but sleep was the last thing on his mind. He knew he could not stay here without revealing his true feelings. He had to leave as soon as he could find a good excuse.

Suddenly, feeling trapped, he longed for the cool breeze and the feel of the trees to ease his suffering mind. Quietly he let himself out of the house and headed for the woods he had noticed on his way there.

He leaned his forehead against the firm bark of a tall, stately oak and immediately felt a sense of peace flood his mind. He laid bare all his doubts and troubles and let the tree soothe him.

'I should have known a wood-elf would be happier out here,' came an amused voice, startling Legolas from his reverie.

'My Lord...forgive me...I could not sleep,' he managed to stammer out, mentally cursing the luck that would bring the last person he should see, straight to him.

'It's fine,' reassured Elrond with a faint smile at the prince's obvious agitation. 'You are a guest here, not a prisoner.'

Legolas relaxed slightly, but then Elrond made as if to leave him and suddenly he knew he would do anything to prolong this encounter.

'Please, don't go...I would not be averse to some company...if you are not busy?'

'I was only planning a walk in the gardens. Would you join me?'

Legolas nodded his acceptance with relief and followed Elrond. For a while they walked in silence and Legolas tried to concentrate on the beautiful gardens, but the powerful presence at his side was far more enthralling.

'So what do you think of Arwen? Elrond asked eventually.

'She is very beautiful...a credit to you,' Legolas replied hesitantly.

'But you do not wish to marry her.' Elrond finished for him.

Legolas flicked startled eyes to the dark-haired elf. 'I...' he began, but could not think what to say. Had it been so obvious?

'And even if you would consent, I would not allow it,' Elrond continued evenly.

Legolas was hurt, if he thought he wasn't good enough for his daughter then...he mentally drew away from the rest of that line of reasoning, nothing good would come of that.

Seeing the pain on his face, Elrond quickly said. 'I did not mean to insult you, I simply mean I would not let her marry without love like I had to, and it was clear that there was no attraction between you.'

'I'm sorry,' Legolas replied regretfully. 'I am sure most elves would fall in love with her at first sight, but I am not one of them.'

'It's not your fault,' Elrond replied gently. 'I think...perhaps...she is the wrong sex?'

For a moment the golden elf looked shocked and then hung his head in embarrassment and shame.

'I am sorry, I should never have come here,' he replied in a wretched voice. 'I truly hoped Lady Arwen would cure me of this affliction...'

'Affliction?' questioned Elrond in astonishment. 'Why would you call it that?'

Legolas raised tormented eyes.

'Because it is unnatural. My father says so and has outlawed it in Mirkwood.'

'Your father is a fool,' Elrond said abruptly. 'Love is too precious to be qualified. If you find love - whether it be with a male or female - you should be free to embrace it.'

Legolas couldn't help but stare at him for the passionate force behind the words.

'Did you follow your own belief?' he asked earnestly. A look of sadness overcame the face of the older elf.

'I tried,' he replied, his tone reflective. 'But the Valar had other plans for me.'

'Your marriage was arranged.' Legolas remembered from earlier.

'Yes. Galadriel told me it was necessary and, as there was no one else in my life, I saw no reason to refuse.'

'It sounds very cold,' Legolas couldn't help but murmur.

'It was not entirely without happiness. I have three wonderful children whom I love dearly.'

'And your wife?' he asked tentatively.

Elrond sighed. 'She was too good for me. I just hope she had finally found some peace in the West.'

'I cannot believe she was too good for you!' Legolas blurted out without thinking. He blushed.

Elrond looked at him with amusement.

'I will take that as a compliment to myself rather than a disparagement of Celebrian,' he said, his tone light.

Suddenly Elrond stopped walking and turned to the younger elf, placing a hand on his arm. Legolas just barely stopped himself jumping as heat flared through him at the simple touch.

'There is another reason why I would not wish you to marry Arwen,' the elven lord said in a low voice. Legolas looked into the burning eyes and what he saw there was more than he had ever hoped. He moved infinitesimally closer

'What would that be?' he managed to say.

Elrond shifted a little and whispered in his ear.

'Because I would have you for myself.'

Legolas gasped at the unbridled lust in those words and it was but a work of a moment to turn his head and capture the other's lips with his own...

End of Flashback

 

As he surfaced from his remembrance, he suddenly realised that he had never slept in another bed in Rivendell besides its lord's own, even that first night. It was a thought bound to bring a look of sadness to his face. They had fought so hard against his father's prejudices - and thought they had won - but then he had not known the real reason behind them. Not until it was too late...

 

Chapter Three - Sons of Elrond

Legolas was slightly startled when he heard a knock at the door.

'Enter,' he called, half expecting it to be a servant to call him to dinner. Instead he was faced with Aragorn, who looked about as pleased as his foster brothers had earlier.

Feeling worried, Legolas swung his legs round off the bed and stood up to face him.

'Why the hell didn't you tell me?' Aragorn asked angrily, without preamble.

'Tell you what?' asked Legolas almost wearily. He felt he had gone through enough already today without his dearest friend shouting at him.

'That there's a damn good reason why your presence here is met with antagonism; why Mirkwood and Imladris have such ill-feeling towards each other; and that you were involved with Elrond and then one day just walked out.'

Legolas sighed, he had feared that coming here would finally reveal to Aragorn about his relationship with Elrond, but had hoped that it would not be so soon.

'I'm sorry, friend,' he said quietly. 'I know I should have told you long ago, but I valued our friendship too much to risk it. I know that was cowardly and I apologise.'

Aragorn stared at him, slightly taken aback to see his friend looking so defeated. Slowly he sank down onto a chair, watching as Legolas once again sat down on the bed.

'I've known you a long time,' Aragorn said, the heat no longer in his voice. 'And I thought I knew you better than most. I just find it hard to believe that you would walk away from someone you were supposed to love.'

'Believe me, it was the hardest thing I have ever done,' Legolas replied fervently. 'Tell me, how much do you know?'

'Very little,' the ranger confessed. 'Glorfindel would only tell me that you had been involved with Elrond and then you left him - and that was only because I demanded to know something. He told me to come to you if I wanted to know the rest...so here I am.'

Legolas studied the face of his friend and saw only a wish for the truth.

'I will tell you the truth,' he replied. 'In some ways it is not as bad as it sounds...in other ways, worse.' The prince drew his legs up to his chest and his blue eyes looked far away as he began to talk.

'I had a brother - an older brother - and we were very close. When I fell in love with Elrond he managed to persuade our father not to disown me and to let me come and go from Imladris and Mirkwood as I was wont.' He stopped for a moment and smiled faintly. 'Of course I spent most of my time here, but it was good to know I was still welcome home...even if my lover was not - one of the condition for my freedom was that Elrond was to stay well away from Mirkwood and that no one there was to know of our relationship.

'It was whilst I was here I received a message from my father telling me that my brother had been sorely injured in an Orc attack. As soon as I received the message I headed home, anxious to be by his side. But when I arrived I discovered that the sword used to inflict the wound had been poisoned with an unknown substance and there was nothing any of our healers could do. I stayed by my brother's side for three days watching him die.' He looked at Aragorn, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'I was so full of grief that I did not even realise the implications of his death until my father reminded me. My brother had been betrothed, but had not yet married. So he left no heirs. Therefore, I was now the crown prince of Mirkwood and was expected to behave as one. I-I know it was weak, but I was so stunned over Glarand's death that I accepted father's words without argument. After all, what right did I have to be happy with my brother gone?'

Aragorn nodded his head, but gave no answer, realising the question was a rhetorical one

'So what happened next?' he prompted softly

'The next part is what I am most ashamed of,' Legolas replied, his eyes showing his torment. 'Alemi, my brother's betrothed, was also in a fearful state at his death and we almost believed she would follow him. Somewhere, in all this madness, my father persuaded both of us that we should marry, that it was what Glarand would have wanted.' Legolas shook his head in disbelief and disgust. 'As if my brother would have wanted me to marry his love! That he would have expected me to give up the one I loved! But in our grief we listened to father's *wise* council and agreed to it. It was almost like being in a dream. And then, one day, we both woke up and realised what a mistake we had made, but it was too late as we were already married.

'We tried to make the best of it, but I am not my brother and it was not long before Alemi became bitter that she was tied to one whose love she could never win. And as for me, my guilt was so great over what I had done that I could not even bring myself to write to Elrond and reveal my betrayal. He only found out after Elrohir and Elladan came to find me and would not leave without answers.' Legolas fearfully waited for Aragorn's response. Two hundred years later and he still felt the guilt clear in his mind. Why, he surmised, could he ever expect his forgiveness, when he had never forgiven himself?

Therefore he was very shocked when he felt arms go around him and a murmured 'I'm sorry, I understand now'.

Stunned, Legolas held onto the warmth of his best friend, his face against his shoulder and let the tears fall. He cried for what seemed like hours, he cried for all he had lost, all the suffering he had caused, he cried for the death of his brother, his son and he cried for the secrets he could not tell. But most of all he cried for the fact that the arms holding him were not the ones he needed and that the lips whispering words of comfort were not the ones he cherished most in the world.

Eventually Aragorn left and Legolas somehow found the energy to wash and change out of his riding clothes into something more suitable for dinner. He guessed the habits of Rivendell would probably not have changed over the years and so at the expected time, he headed towards the dining room.

He had just reached the corridor to the main rooms when he encountered the twins.

'What on Arda are you still doing here?' Elladan snarled at him whilst Elrohir looked at him with loathing.

'Your father has invited me to attend the Council tomorrow,' Legolas replied levelly, but unable to keep a look of defiance off his face.

'Then more fool him!' burst out Elrohir angrily. 'After the suffering you've caused him, he should have had you thrown straight out.'

'You are probably right,' the blond elf agreed. 'But I am grateful that he has not. I do not yet know all that has occurred recently, but I wish to help in any way I can.'

'We do not need *your* help, princeling,' Elrohir replied scornfully.

'We will see,' Legolas replied quietly.

'As soon as the Council is over I want you gone from here,' Elladan said fiercely. 'You're not going to have the chance to hurt our father again.'

'I think your father is perfectly capable of looking after himself,' Legolas replied a little heatedly. He was starting to get a little annoyed about the over-protectiveness they were showing for Elrond. Anyone would think he was an elfling rather than a great warrior who had fought in the Last Alliance.

'Have you never heard of grief?' Elladan asked bitterly. 'Once he heard of your betrayal he sank into the depths of despair. If he was not a Peredhil we would surely have lost him.'

Legolas turned pale. 'I do not believe it,' he whispered, shaking his head in denial. 'Elrond is too strong to fade from grief.' Though even as he said those words, it suddenly made sense why the twins hated him so much. A broken love affair was one thing, but if they had nearly lost their father because of it...

'It is true,' declared the younger twin. 'So if you have any feelings for him at all in that so-called heart, you will stay away from him.'

Legolas nodded numbly, unable to speak and all defiance drained out of him. To think he had nearly caused the death of the one he loved. The only comfort he had was that if Elrond had passed, he would surely have followed him.

Elladan and Elrohir looking satisfied that their message had hit home, left him to his reverie. Legolas, now having no stomach for food, nor the courage to face the one he had nearly killed, instead headed back to his room.

He threw open the doors to the balcony and breathed in the cool night air. His fists clenched over the edge of the balcony and his eyes shut tight as he unwillingly relived how his father had trapped him...

 

Flashback

As the days went by and the grief over his brother's death slowly started to dissipate, he realised what a terrible mistake he had made - and from the way that Alemi was acting he knew she felt the same way. As the fog lifted from his mind, he knew that all King Thranduil had said was lies; Glarand would never have wanted him to part from Elrond and least of all marry someone he barely knew so quickly. Bitterly he realised why his father had been so insistent that they marry so soon, he hadn't wanted to give either time to really understand what they were doing.

It had now been a month since the wedding - four since he had left Rivendell - and he had not yet got up the courage to write to his love and tell him of his folly. It has also not helped that for the last few days he had started to feel unwell and he had noticed his stomach was slightly distended - though the amount of food he was consuming probably had something to do with that.

The Healers were no help and Legolas started to worry that something was seriously wrong with him. That was when Thranduil finally told him the truth.

'I know exactly what's wrong with you,' he said, stony-faced. Legolas looked at him in alarm.

'Then tell me!' he begged. 'I cannot go on without knowing.'

'Our family is cursed.' He replied.

'In what way?' the younger elf asked anxiously.

'Many, many years ago the Valar gave us what they termed a 'gift'.' He looked at his son almost sorrowfully. 'It is the real reason why I have always outlawed males laying with males. I hoped that after all these years it might no longer be true, that it had not been passed on to you...'

'Please father, just tell me what is wrong with me!'

Thranduil gave a deep sigh and then looked his son straight in the eye.

'The gift the Valar gave us was the ability for males to bear children.'

Legolas looked at him, stunned.

'You mean...I'm with child?' he asked in shock. He brought a hand down to his stomach. 'I carry Elrond's child,' he murmured in wonder. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

'It would seem so,' Thranduil replied.

Legolas looked at his father accusingly.

'So all this expecting me to marry a female to produce an heir was totally unnecessary,' he spat out.

'Of course it wasn't,' protested Thranduil. 'As I said I wasn't even sure it was still true and even if it was there can only ever be one child and there is no assurance that it will be male.'

Suddenly Legolas gave a bitter laugh.

'So I could be carrying the future heir to Mirkwood fathered by the Peredhil you despise and yet I am married to an elf-maiden I have no feelings for because you convinced me it was the only way to beget an heir. Sometimes life is truly ironic!' He fixed his father with an angry stare. 'You do realise you have ruined my life? I should be in Imladris with the one I love, but how can I go back when I am bound to another?'

'You will never go back to Imladris,' Thranduil said coldly. 'Elrond is far too proud an individual to take you back now. Besides this must never get out, it would bring shame to the family and the kingdom.'

'And how do you plan to hide it?' Legolas asked angrily. 'It will soon become very obvious! And what about the baby? How would you hide that?'

'When it becomes obvious you will have to stay in your quarters,' Thranduil replied calmly. As soon as he had realised that his son was pregnant, he had quickly decided on a course of action. 'Except for a trusted few, everyone else will be told you are still suffering from grief over your brother's death.'

'But what about the baby?' Legolas repeated, hardly believing what he was hearing.

'I will shortly give out the joyous news that Alemi is with child.'

Legolas could not speak as it sank in what lengths his father would go, to stop dishonour being spread on his family name.

Of course, Thranduil being Thranduil, everything went as planned. If any of his subjects saw any discrepancies in what they were told, they had the good sense not to say - Thranduil was not known for his tolerance of any who displeased him.

The first time Legolas held his son and looked into his grey eye, he knew he would always have a part of Elrond with him and he vowed that one day he would tell him the truth.

End of Flashback

Chapter Four - After the Council

'Why did you do that?'

Legolas was abruptly woken from his reverie by the demanding voice. After the Council - and his pledge to follow the halfling - he had swiftly made his way to his favourite, long missed part of the gardens of Rivendell. It was where he had often come to reflect in happier times and though two hundred years had passed, little had changed.

He had told himself it was because he required solitude to reflect on what he had just volunteered for that he had retired here, but in his heart he knew that this was the first place Elrond would look for him - if he would look for him at all. It seemed he was not to be disappointed.

Legolas looked down from his perch in an old, proud tree.

'I told you yesterday I would do whatever was necessary to help,' Legolas replied evenly.

'You did *not* have to do that.' Elrond replied, his voice rising slightly.

Legolas lightly jumped down from the tree and faced the older elf.

'Never the less it is done and cannot be undone. I have given my word to the halfling and I will not break it.'

'Since when has your word come to mean so much?' the dark-haired elf asked heatedly. 'I remember a time when you gave solemn promises only to break them without thought.'

'I have never done that!' exclaimed Legolas, stunned by the anger in Elrond's face and voice.

'You made a promise to me that you would come back before the first snow. I do not consider two hundred years later in keeping with your vow...or any of the other vows you made to me.'

The younger elf looked at Elrond speechlessly. He had not expected him to bring up the past, and what they had once been to each other, not after the painfully polite avoidance of the subject the day before.

'I could not help it, you know that. Not coming back was the hardest thing I have ever done. Maybe that is the reason why I must keep the promise I have made now.' Legolas thought he caught a glint of sympathy evident in the other's pale grey eyes and perhaps something more. Whatever the reason, his voice was softer when he next spoke.

'Your father will not be happy. After all you are his heir and this quest is very dangerous.'

'My father is not my keeper and I have learnt the hard way that his counsel is not always the wisest.' His eyes were stormy and his voice was bitter and Legolas could see his former lover was taken aback by the conflict that was plain in his words. 'And if indeed it is my destiny to die on this quest then I will not hide from it.'

Elrond studied the fair face before him.

'Is that your wish, Legolas?' he asked quietly. 'To die honourably?'

'I did not say that,' the prince protested. 'Only that it is a possibility of which I am well aware.'

'Then why did you volunteer?' Elrond asked.

'Because I am the best archer in Mirkwood or Rivendell, and because Aragorn is a dear friend who deserves my loyalty.' He hesitated. 'And also because if an elf has to be a part of this fellowship I would prefer it to be one who has fewer ties to this world than say Elladan or Elrohir, who would be sorely missed.'

'Do you really believe that?' Elrond asked incredulously. 'What about your father, your son...your wife?'

'My father hates me, he has never forgiven me for trying to follow my heart - the only use I was to him was to provide an heir to carry on the line and now I have fulfilled that he has no more interest in me. My son would miss me, but as I have said he is strong and would soon recover. As for Alemi...' his tone turned cold. 'She would rejoice in her freedom.'

Elrond could not suppress a shiver at the ice in those pale blue eyes and the bitterness in his voice. He could not help but mourn the loss of the innocent, uncomplicated soul he had once known. He realised, whatever he may have thought to the contrary, life had become a bitter disappointment to the younger elf.

'I cannot believe the one you are bound to would rejoice in your passing,' Elrond replied.

'We may be bound by marriage, but there is little else between us. She does not love me and I do not love her. It has been many years since we have touched...in fact it has been many years since I have been touched by anyone,' he admitted softly, his eyes not leaving his ex-lover's face.

Elrond's heart beat faster at these words and a flare of lust went straight to his loins as he remembered the touches they had freely bestowed on each other many years ago. Whatever Legolas saw in his face, he misinterpreted it.

'Do not worry,' he said, smiling sadly. 'I am not propositioning you...I know our time has long since passed.' But the hint of longing was not missed by the other's sharp ears and at that moment all he wanted to do was cup that beautiful face with his hands and kiss away all the sadness and pain reflected in it.

He clenched his fists at his side to stop them doing as he wished. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Legolas was right...their time had passed...

'I must go now,' he all but whispered, turning away abruptly.

Legolas watched him go. Once the lord was out of sight, he pressed his forehead against the tree and let the silent tears fall. He knew he had been weak and revealed more than he ought, but he knew he had also seen the unguarded lust in the other's eyes. For a moment he had dared hope...

Even as he told himself it was all for the best and an unnecessary complication of an already complicated situation, he still knew, given the opportunity, he would willingly give himself again to the lord of Imladris.

*******

Over the next two months, Legolas saw very little of Elrond; partly to avoid temptation and partly because he spent much of his time with Aragorn searching the west as far as Tharbad for tidings of the Riders or Gollum. He knew others had entered Mirkwood, but he had consciously chosen the opposite direction. Not that anyone had any luck.

He was relieved that Elladan and Elrohir had been sent off on a special, and secret, mission for their father. They had not taken the news well that he was to be part of the Fellowship and so would be at based at Rivendell until they set out. They had acted as if it was some great conspiracy to insinuate his way back into their lives...and their father's bed. That always made him laugh bitterly. He had truly been shocked to hear the extent of Elrond's grief over him and, as every moment spent in the dark-haired lord's presence made it more difficult for him to ignore the draw between them, he had determined to see him as little as possible. He would not let his desire cause the other any more pain. Not unless he could find a way around his own guilt...

Chapter Five - The Evening Before Departure

Legolas sat down at the small writing desk in his room. It was time to write the hardest letter of his life. He had been at Rivendell more than two months now and had only had one message conveyed home early on to say that he had arrived safely, but would not be returning in the near future as he was needed here. Why exactly he was needed he did not say, not just because it wasn't sensible to write down anything to do with the ring, but because he did not want his father to find out about the Fellowship until it was too late for Thranduil to stop him.

But now the time had come to write at least part of the truth down, but it was not to King Thranduil that he wrote, it was his wife, Alemi.

Slowly and with many pauses and crossings out, he told her that he was part of an important plan to stop the darkness that was taking over more than just Mirkwood. Now for the difficult part...

'I do not know quite how to say this, but it must be said. What I am about to do will probably bring about my death, but even if it does not and we are successful, I will not return to Mirkwood. You know as well as I do that I have never had the desire to rule and so I abdicate all my responsibilities as Crown Prince to Jarab. Please tell him that I am sorry for doing this to him but I feel I have little choice...that fate has chosen a different destiny for me.

There is just one more thing I must say. I know you have never loved me and you know my heart is already taken, and so I believe it is finally time to do what we have both been avoiding for many years. In the enclosed package you will find the ring you gave me. Our marriage has been a travesty for too long...and as of this moment I consider it dissolved.

Please remember that I care for you and I do not do this lightly, but done it must be.

Yours respectfully

Legolas'

It was done. Carefully he wrote it out again and folded it into three before writing Alemi's name on it. The final thing left to do was to remove his wedding ring. As he removed it he felt as if he was released from his prison. His heart and soul felt perceptibly lighter. He wrapped the golden band up in a piece of material and put it on top of the letter. He had already arranged for a messenger to convey it to Mirkwood, but that would not be until the following morning, when he left himself.

Standing up gracefully, he headed for the bathroom to clean up before the final task he had set for this evening. He just hoped this would be more pleasurable than the previous tasks...

********

Elrond stood on the private balcony of his chambers deep in thought, not even noticing the deep purple of the sky or the twinkling stars adorning it. Tomorrow the fellowship would leave Rivendell and head inexorably for Mordor...and with them would go two whom he loved dearly. Aragorn, he understood - it was his destiny - but why Legolas would take this on himself still remained a mystery.

It had been over two months since the golden prince had returned to Rivendell and Elrond had been restless ever since. It had been pointless to deny it to himself. He still loved him. At night his body ached knowing that Legolas slept under the same roof but not in his arms. Every night he had to summon all his willpower not to go to him. Elrond knew he was not delusive in believing that Legolas still felt the physical attraction between them. Just one look in those blue eyes full of hunger was enough.

And now, tonight, was his last chance. Tomorrow he would be gone and he would be left with what might have been once again. Yet he knew he would still do nothing. Legolas himself had said it was too late for them.

Elrond suddenly stiffened as he heard a soft knock at the door. Surely it couldn't be...? He instantly stifled his hopes. It would just be Glorfindel or the twins checking up and worrying about him as usual. He decided to ignore them. If he couldn't have the one he wanted, he'd rather be alone.

At the sound of the door opening he looked around in surprise, his family respected his privacy too much to walk in where they were not wanted. A small gasp left his mouth when he saw the object of his thoughts standing there almost as if he had called him. Dressed in a loose fitting grey robe and no braids in his slightly damp, golden hair, Elrond thought he had never looked more ethereal...or more desirable. He came in from the balcony and looked at the other elf.

'What are you doing here?' he asked, cursing when he heard the tremble in his own voice.

'I needed to speak to you in private one last time before I left,' Legolas said softly, closing the door and leaning back against it.

'Say what you have to say and leave,' Elrond replied roughly. Standing in his bedroom where they had spent so many nights of passion - where Legolas had belonged solely to him - was far too intimate. Unbidden images flashed before his eyes making his groin flare with lust.

'Actually it was more a request,' he took a couple of steps towards the older elf. 'I have seen you looking at me and I want to know if it means what I think.'

'And what do you think it means?' Elrond asked, his mouth dry.

'That you still desire me,' Legolas replied simply. He kept his eyes fixed on the silvery grey orbs, half expecting a denial, but none was forthcoming.

'Who could not desire you?' asked Elrond wryly. 'You are, and always have been, enchanting.'

Legolas took a few more steps towards Rivendell's lord so he was close enough to touch him. Heart pounding, he knew it was now or never.

'I do not ask for your heart...I forfeited the right to that many years ago. All I ask for is one night to give me something sweet to remember in the dark nights that must follow.'

He raised a trembling hand to the noble face before him and caressed his cheek. Elrond stood as still as a statue under his touch, neither moving towards, nor moving away.

Desperate for a reaction, Legolas closed the gap between their bodies, one arm sliding around his lord's waist and the other losing itself in the dark hair.

At first the lips he touched with his own were cool and unresponsive and for a moment Legolas despaired. But then he saw the flare of need in the other's eyes and the mouth under his opened, inviting him to explore the hot, moist cavern.

Reluctantly, Legolas pulled himself away, guilt suffusing his body.

'If you don't want this, say now and I will leave,' he said desperately. 'I don't want to feel I have forced you...'

'I want this, Legolas,' Elrond assured his raggedly, the need etched plain on his face. 'It is all I have thought about since you came back into my life.' With that it was he who closed the gap between them, greedily meeting the lips that he had spent too many night dreaming about.

The passion that had long simmered, boiled over in a frantic tangle of lips and tongues and urgently bestowed caresses. Neither could get close enough to the other, so deep was the need that had risen up in both of them.

They made their way over to the bed, never letting go of each other, and with eager hands making short work of the clothes that were an irritating barrier between them and the naked skin they craved.

Elrond pushed the prince roughly down onto bed, quickly covering his body with his own, desperate to taste and feel what had once been so familiar. He traced a path of kisses down Legolas' neck, whilst his hands explored the bow-hardened muscles of his arms and chest.

'As beautiful as I remember,' Elrond whispered reverently, making his way further down the golden body beneath him. Pausing to suck in an already hard nipple and biting down firmly. Legolas arched into the touch in both pleasure and pain, calling out his lover's name.

Satisfied with this response, he kissed down the chest and onto the flat stomach that rippled under his touch. He stopped suddenly when he came to an unexpected mark just below the bellybutton. He traced a finger along the thin white scar.

'What did you do here?' asked the older elf with faint concern. Legolas looked down with passion-glazed eyes which cleared instantly when he saw what he was examining.

'It is nothing,' Legolas said hastily. 'A mere scratch in battle.' He silently cursed himself for forgetting about the mark left from the birth of his son and not having time to think up a more convincing lie.

Elrond looked at him, puzzled.

'But it must have been deep to leave such a mark as this and the line is strangely thin and straight...'

'It is *nothing*,' Legolas repeated firmly.

That his lover was hiding something, Elrond was sure, but this was not the time to seek answers. There was a much more urgent task that begged his attention...

He drew his tongue along the white line, revelling in the feeling of the body trembling beneath him. Legolas, relieved that he was not going to question him further, once more lost himself in the touch he craved.

Finally Elrond came to the physical evidence of his lover's passion, hard and leaking. Gently he licked the very tip, pressing down on the hips that wanted to thrust up to meet him.

'Patience, my dear Legolas,' he whispered. 'If this is to be a sweet memory for you I will handle it my own way.'

Sighing, Legolas relaxed beneath him, submitting willingly to whatever the elven lord had planned. He knew from experience he would not be disappointed.

He could not suppress a gasp though as his arousal was swallowed down, entirely cocooned in the warm, wet haven of his lover's mouth. All too soon he could feel heat rising within him and the threat of release looming near. He moaned and abruptly he felt a rush of cold air as his member was released from its prison.

'Not yet, my prince,' murmured Elrond. 'It has been too long to let it be over so quickly.'

Elrond shifted up Legolas' body, reaching for a small bottle on the table by his bedside. The golden haired elf's eyes grew dark with anticipation as his lover poured a generous amount onto his fingers before setting it aside.

The first fingertip at his most intimate entrance pulled a hiss from the prince even as he shifted his hips to allow for better access, moaning with pleasure at that he had not felt for two centuries. As the older elf took his time preparing him, Legolas grew impatient again. With a quick flip of his body he reversed their positions.

'I want you now,' he growled, reaching behind him and grasping his lover's arousal, holding it steady against his willing entrance.

Any protest Elrond was going to make was swiftly forgotten as Legolas impaled himself in one abrupt thrust down. Neither could hold back their groans as they became one. They moved together in the practised movements of old lovers, each knowing how to give the other the most pleasure. Climax followed more swiftly than either desired, but then forever would not have been long enough.

*******

Legolas listened to the regular breathing of his lover and wondered at the serene expression on his face bathed in the moonlight. All he wanted to do was lay there and surrender to the peace of being held in the strong arms of the one he loved, but he knew that would be a mistake. In their coupling, neither had spoken any words of love and on his part that had been on purpose. He considered it unfair to make any promises he could not keep, but he knew if he woke up still in his lover's arms he would not be able to stop himself.

Silently - and regretfully - he slid out of Elrond's tight embrace, wincing as, even in his sleep, a look of bereftment overcame his lover's handsome face at the loss of the one he held.

Legolas could not resist placing one last soft kiss on his lips.

'I love you,' he whispered softly, daring to say what he could not when his beloved was awake. 'I always have and I always will.'

Moving away from the bed, he dressed quickly. Finally he looked back one last time trying to imprint the image in his mind, before leaving the room.

*******

Elrond turned over, reaching sleepily for his lover. He awoke abruptly when he discovered a cold space where he had imagined him to be. A wave of desolation overtook him. Legolas had done it again. He had left him...

*******  
With the morning came the leaving of the Fellowship from Imladris. Elrond was his normal composed self to those who didn't know him well, like the hobbits, but to those closest to him, they could detect a distinct desolateness to his manner. He said farewell to each in turn, yet when his grey eyes met the sky blue ones of his lover, his emotions tightened his throat at the thought he may never see him again. So instead, he merely nodded. He did not think of the effect this would have on Legolas; did not realise that the young prince would believe this a sign that he regretted their night together.

Aragorn was not the only one to look calculatingly between the prince and the lord. That something *had* happened was unmistakable, but exactly what, they could not discern.

Chapter Six - Lothlorien

Legolas had been surprised when Galadriel had requested his presence and he went with trepidation in his heart. This was the mother of Elrond's wife and also a powerful elf who could see your deepest thoughts. Not a combination he wished to confront on his own. Her first words confirmed his fears.

'I know you still love my daughter's husband and I know you carried his son and have kept this from him,' she said calmly. Legolas looked at her in dismay.

'I am sorry,' he said. 'I cannot help loving him, but I never knew I could carry a child.'

'Do not blame yourself, young Prince. 'Fate had brought you along this path, but now you have come to a fork in where you must choose your own destiny.'

Legolas looked at her confused.

'I do not understand,' he confessed. 'I see only one path...and that leads to Mordor.'

'You could choose to stay here...or even go back,' she replied, her blue eyes seeming to see right through him.

'I must go on,' he instantly replied. 'I will not fail Frodo.'

'But what if you had another to consider?'

'Another?'

'Your child.'

'What do you mean?' he asked in alarm. 'Is Jarab in trouble?'

'No,' she replied. 'I do not speak of your son, I speak of your daughter.'

'But I do not have a daughter!' Legolas replied in bewilderment.

'Not yet, but even now you carry her inside you. A second daughter for Elrond.'

'I am pregnant?' Legolas asked in disbelief. 'It cannot be true! The Healers said it was only possible for me to have one child.'

'None the less it is true,' she assured him. 'The choice you must make is a difficult one. To go on could risk both your lives, but to turn back may risk the quest.'

'What should I do?' pleaded Legolas. 'Surely you can tell me?'

'Both paths are dark to me,' she admitted. 'This is a decision I cannot make for you.'

Legolas' head was whirling as he left the presence of the Lady of the Woods. He desperately wished for someone to confide in, someone to counsel him. His thoughts immediately turned to Aragorn, but were just as expediently dismissed. For one, the future king had more than enough burden with the death of Gandalf without another thing to worry him. Plus, as his child would be a sister to his beloved Arwen, he did not think he would get unprejudiced advice.

His thoughts turned to the others in his group, the hobbits he summarily dismissed, they were simple folk and would probably have difficulty understanding his predicament. Boromir, he considered too wrapped up in his own problems. Suddenly he desperately wished for Gandalf, who could always be counted on for wise, if not necessarily immediately lucid, judgements.

His eyes went to the dwarf, Gimli, and instantly he knew his choice was made. In the time they had spent together he had begun to appreciate his steady values and outspokenness. If anyone would listen and advise without bias, he believed Gimli would.

Nervously he approached the dwarf, who stared at him through narrowed eyes.

'Would you care to walk with me, Gimli? I would like to show you more of the beauty of Lothlorien.'

If the question surprised the dwarf, he hid it well, perhaps seeing some of the turmoil evident on the elf's face. He merely nodded his assent and followed Legolas out of the small clearing.

They walked some way without speaking, until Legolas was sure they were out of the range of even elvish keen hearing.

'You have something on your mind,' Gimli stated. 'Is it something to do with what Lady Galadriel spoke about to you?'

Legolas sighed. 'Yes, it is. I desire your counsel if you would hear me out. Though I must warn you that the subject is a delicate one and I do not wish to cause you affront.'

'There is little left in this world that would shock me,' the dwarf replied wryly. 'I would be glad to hear your woe, though I am a little surprised you would confide in me rather than another elf.'

Legolas could not help a small smile.

'Though these elves are my kin, I know them not and I would not feel comfortable speaking to any of them on this subject.'

'Then I am honoured, Master elf and will gladly listen to you, though I do not admit of any real ability to give good advice.'

They continued walking through the forest, Legolas pondering how to start.

'Lady Galadriel has told me of something most disturbing,' Legolas began hesitantly. 'Something I did not believe could happen to me again.'

'Are you ill?' asked Gimli, concern showing on his face.

'No, not ill exactly, but it does concern my health...my body...'

Gimli looked at him, puzzlement plain on his face.

'If you do not spit it out, I cannot possibly help you,' he said.

Legolas tool a deep breath and mentally prepared himself.

'Galadriel told me...she said...that I carry a child...a daughter...inside of me.'

Gimli stopped dead and gazed at the elf in disbelief.

'That is absurd,' he blustered. 'You are male, you cannot carry a child.'

'It is not absurd and I know perfectly well it is possible,' Legolas replied quietly, but firmly. 'I know because I have already borne a son.'

'A son? I understood you had two sons with your wife and one of those...' he trailed off realising what he was saying and looked at the elf apprehensively to see if he had caused offence.

'Jarab, my eldest son, and who is still living, is not a product of my union with Alemi. Though I did not know it at the time, I already carried him when I was wed.'

'And the father? I assume there *is* another male involved?' Gimli asked, trying to keep his tone level.

'Yes, there is. But he knows nothing of his unwitting fatherhood.'

'And this latest one?' a horrifying thought rose unbidden to mind. 'It's not Aragorn's is it?'

Despite the situation, the elf could not contain a chuckle at the look on Gimli's face.

'Nay, Aragorn is a dear friend, but his love for Arwen consumes him. Both my son and my future daughter share the same father.'

'And who is that?' asked Gimli before he could stop himself. He held up a hand. 'No, do not feel you have to answer that, it is none of my business.'

'No Gimli, that I have come to you means I should be totally honest with you,' Legolas replied earnestly. 'But you must promise not to speak of this to anyone.'

'You have my word.' Gimli replied a little gruffly.

Unconsciously Legolas rested a hand on his stomach.

'The father is the Lord of Imladris,'

'Lord Elrond?' the dwarf asked, startled. Once again stunned where he thought nothing else could.

Legolas told him, without restraint, of their shared history and the brief rekindling only a month before.

'And now I do not know what to do,' Legolas finished. 'I pledged my life to this quest, little knowing that I would be pledging another life - an innocent life - as well. You should know I had not planned to return from this journey no matter what the outcome.'

Gimli was shocked. 'You mean you...?'

'Wished to die? Perhaps. All I know is that I had no plans to return to Mirkwood or Rivendell.' He looked at Gimli pleadingly. 'What do I do now? I do not wish to risk the life of my child, but I do not wish to leave this quest. I feel that I am needed here.'

Gimli looked at him in contemplation.

'Truth be told, your bow would be sorely missed if you turned back. I am not sure we would have escaped the mines of Moria without you. But I cannot make such a serious decision for you. Do not make a rash decision now, however, whilst the news is still so young. You must think long and hard before deciding upon a course of action.'

Legolas nodded solemnly.

'You are right, my friend, but I would appreciate having your ear again. You make me see things more clearly.'

'I will always be a willing listener,' the dwarf replied gravely. 'Though I think you should make Aragorn aware of the situation.'

'No, I will not burden him further,' the elf firmly replied. 'This must stay a secret between us if I do go forward with you.'

Gimli grunted in the affirmative, but showed his displeasure. In silence they turned back towards the settlement.

'Do you still love him?' Gimli suddenly asked out of nowhere.

'I gave my heart into his keeping the moment we met,' the elf replied softly, his tone wistful. 'And there it will dwell for all eternity.'

Gimli felt an unbidden wetness fill his eyes at the sadness of the other's tone and blinked it back furiously. It was at that moment he swore that, if Legolas did remain with the quest, he would protect him with his own life.

Chapter Seven - Helms Deep & Back In Imladris

'This is too dangerous,' the dwarf growled at the golden elf who stood before him. 'You should not risk yourself in such a way.'

'I will stand by yours and Aragorn's side as always,' Legolas replied stubbornly. 'I will not cower and hide in fear with the women and children.' He looked at the dwarf he now considered his dearest friend, through narrowed eyes. 'Besides,' he said more softly. 'I know you will not let anything happen to me.'

'I will do my best as ever,' Gimli replied. 'But this will be a full blown battle and I cannot guarantee I will be able to stay beside you.'

'Then I must take my chances like everyone else.'

'If you do not think of yourself, think of your child,' pleaded Gimli.

Legolas placed a hand on his still flat stomach.

'I would rather my child had a free world to come into, than be born into the darkness of Sauron's reign. Better we both die here than submit to that.'

'What the hell is going on?' demanded an incensed voice from the doorway. Both Legolas and Gimli spun round to face Aragorn.

'Nothing is going on,' Legolas said quickly. 'We were just talking.'

'Aye, I heard you talking and I heard more than I wanted.' The ranger stared at Legolas. 'Is what I heard true? Are you with child?'

Meeting his gaze, Legolas slowly nodded his head.

'Unbelievable,' Aragorn whispered, looking dumfounded. 'I had heard tales of such things being possible among elves, but I never thought they were true.'

'Believe it, Aragorn,' the elf told him wryly. 'Galadriel herself told me.'

'Galadriel?' he said, his temper flaring again. 'You have known about this since Lothlorien and yet you did not tell me. If I had known I would never have let you come this far...'

'And you wonder why I did not tell you?' Legolas replied angrily. 'It was my choice to follow you and I do not regret it for a moment.'

'Even though we will possibly all die tonight?' Aragorn asked, eyes flashing.

'I regret nothing,' the elf repeated icily. 'And I will do all I can to prevent that outcome.'

'No you will not,' the man replied, equally coldly. 'You will stay down here, away from danger.'

'Danger is everywhere,' snapped Legolas. 'You are my friend and I follow you gladly, but you do not rule me. I will do what my honour as a prince of Mirkwood tells me to do.' He looked at his friend challengingly.

Just then Gimli touched Aragorn's arm.

'It's no good arguing with him, he will do as he sees fit,' the dwarf said gently. 'Besides even those still in their childhood are being made to fight.'

'But not an unborn babe,' protested Aragorn.

'This is my child,' Legolas said quietly. 'I do not make the decision lightly, but I *have* made it.'

'And what of the father?' demanded the Ranger. 'Does he have no rights?'

'No he does not. He is far away and knows nothing of this child. And I do not know if he would even care...' Legolas finished sadly.

'Whose is it?' Aragorn asked, almost gently. 'For a brief moment I hoped that it was Elrond's and you and he had reconciled, but your words lead me to believe this cannot be.'

'You are half right, Ranger,' the elf said with a sad half smile. 'We have not reconciled, but we did spend the night together before we left Rivendell, and the child I carry is indeed his.'

Aragorn was suddenly struck by a thought. 'A brother or sister to Arwen,' he said with wonder.

'A sister...or so Galadriel has foreseen.'

'And yet you still expect me to let you fight?' he asked exasperatedly.

'I expect you to *let* me do nothing. I *will* fight regardless.'

'Then let us hope we prevail.' Aragorn said, finally accepting the elf's determination.

'Do not worry, Aragorn. I will stay close by him.' Gimli reassured.

Aragorn, put a hand on Gimli's shoulder.

'I'm sure you will be a staunch ally as ever,' he said soberly. He flicked a glance between the dwarf and the elf. 'Now I see why you have become such friends.' And with that he left them alone.

'Well that could have gone better,' remarked the dwarf.

Legolas sank down to his knees, his legs no longer able to hold him up.

'He will tell Elrond,' he whispered, his face pale. 'And then what shall I do?' His only comfort was that Aragorn did not know Jarab's true parentage.

Gimli stared at the elf, but saw the question had been rhetorical and he had sunk into a deep reverie.

''Tis all for the best...probably,' muttered the dwarf. But just then there were cries from above and battle was upon them...

*******

Elrond sat in his study, but work was the furthest thing from his mind. Messengers from Lothlorien had informed him that the Fellowship had passed through there and of the fall of Gandalf, but since then he had found the Istari was very much alive. Now, he felt that the war against Sauron and Saruman had come to a critical point. One that his foster son and his love were deeply embroiled within. Now his sons were also travelling towards Rohan to who knew what danger. Though, even if he had been able to, he would not have stopped them.

He was startled out of his dark thoughts by the entry of Glorfindel looking strangely agitated.

'What is it?' he asked resignedly.

'There is an elf from Mirkwood wishing to speak with you.'

Elrond nodded tiredly. He had been expecting something from Thranduil for a long time. He imagined he was most displeased that his son had not returned home.

'Send him in,' Elrond replied.

'Don't you want to know his name first?' Glorfindel asked with an inscrutable look on his face.

'Why? Do I know him?'

'You have not met him, but you have certainly *heard* of him.'

'Just tell me who he is,' the half-elf said irritably. He was in no mood for games.

'He says his name is Prince Jarab, son of Legolas.'

Elrond stood up in shock. 'What is he doing here?' he demanded.

'I have no idea,' the Eldar replied composedly. 'He said he would speak only to you.'

'Then send him in,' he repeated.

Glorfindel bowed and left the room. A few - very impatient - minutes later, the door once again opened and a young, golden-haired elf stood there.

Elrond gazed at him for a moment and got the strange feeling that the elf reminded him of someone - but that person wasn't Legolas. Yes, the son had his lover's colouring, but the eyes were more grey than blue and there was an air of regalness that Legolas had never possessed, few did, and certainly not at this age. He also did not seem to have the litheness one would expect of a wood-elf; he seemed more sturdy somehow. Elrond could not help but wonder if there was a hint of human somewhere in Alemi's bloodline...

Suddenly he realised he was staring and quickly composing himself, he went through the usual formalities until they were both settled, drinks in hand.

'So what brings you to Imladris, Prince Jarab?' Elrond asked.

'Just Jarab will do,' the young elf replied. 'The reason I have come here is that I need to know what my father is involved in and whether there has been any news of him since he left here?'

Elrond nodded gravely. 'I can understand your concern and your wish to know more.' And with that he proceeded to tell the young prince of the quest and as much as he knew of what had happened since. Once he had finished, Jarab frowned.

'So it is true what he wrote then, that this quest is incredibly dangerous?'

'Yes,' replied Elrond. 'But I have every confidence in your father.'

'More confidence than he had in himself then!' Jarab retorted. He reached into the pocket of his tunic and brought out a rather ragged piece of paper. 'This is the only message he sent my mother during his stay at Rivendell and there does not appear to be much hope in it.

With a worried look, Elrond took the paper from the extended hand and read it through. His face grew paler as he read it through and he could barely stifle an exclamation as he read that Legolas had dissolved his marriage and abdicated his position as Crown Prince. Finally, with a sigh, he put it down and looked levelly at the elf in front of him.

'What do you expect me to say?' he asked.

'I want you to tell me to whom he refers when he says his heart was already taken before he married my mother?'

'Somehow I think you already know that,' Elrond replied.

'I have what my mother has told me, but I wish to hear it from your lips,' Jarab said angrily. 'And I also want to know if *you* are the reason my father has left my mother and his home for good?'

'Not knowing what your mother has told you, I can only tell you what is true. Yes, Legolas and I were involved for several years before he married your mother. It was he who ended it and chose instead to honour his father's wishes for him to marry your mother.' He took a deep breath. 'As for the rest of your question. No, I am not the reason that he has decided not to return to Mirkwood - in fact until I read this letter I had no idea of his plans. But I *can* tell you that the blame rests firmly on your grandfather's shoulders.' He looked at the Legolas' son sympathetically. 'Legolas is a free spirit that your Thranduil wished to chain down - and succeeded - but there would always come a day when he would rebel. I just hope you can forgive him.'

Jarab looked at him strangely. 'There is nothing to forgive. I am not stupid, I knew how my father felt about his duty towards grandfather and our kingdom. However, I do not believe that this is enough for him to sever all ties with us. Please tell me the truth...Are you still in love with him?'

Elrond bowed his head, unable to meet the piercing grey of the other's eyes.

'Yes,' he admitted in a low voice. 'Even when I hated him for leaving, a part of me still loved him. Seeing him again made me realise that I will never stop loving him.' He raised his eyes challengingly, not sure what he would find there. What he had not expected was the beginnings of a smile.

'I am glad,' Jarab said softly. 'My father deserves some happiness. I am sorry if I have pressed you so far, but I needed to be sure. The reason for that is there is something that I must tell you now...something you may find difficult to believe...something even I found hard to believe when my mother told me!'

Elrond could not keep the confusion from his face. 'What?' he managed to say weakly, wondering what more this strange young elf had to say.

'Alemi is not my natural mother,' he replied.

'What? Then *who*?' asked Elrond in astonishment. Jarab gave a faint laugh.

'I suppose you could say my father is really my mother. He is the one who carried me for more than a year. He is the one who gave birth to me.'

Elrond's jaw dropped as this revelation sank in. 'Then...?' He stopped, unable to put into words what this meant...or what he hoped it meant.

'*You* are my father.' Jarab said firmly

Suddenly, to Elrond, everything fitted into place. The vague hints from Legolas, the scar that was obviously from the birth and the vague notion of familiarity about the other elf. Now that he knew, it was obvious that Jarab reminded him of himself!

'I never realised,' he said shakily. 'I had heard rumours of male elves that could have children, but I did not believe it was true.' He looked at his new found son. 'So where do we go from here?'

'I would like to stay here for a while if that is acceptable to you,' the young elf replied, for the first time showing a hint of trepidation. 'I would like to have a chance to get to know my father.'

Elrond carefully kept hidden the wave of anger that went through him at the realisation that Legolas had deprived him of seeing his son grow up. Had not even had the decency to tell him. Instead he smiled and replied, 'I would like that very much.'

But deep down, he was not sure if he would be able to forgive this latest act of treachery by his lover. That was, he realised with a sense of forboding, if he ever saw him again...

Chapter Eight - The Aftermath

Legolas stood at the gates of Minas Tirith with a swiftly beating heart. The war was over and he had survived - something he had not really expected. Now he stood here with his companions awaiting the company of elves that had been heralded as arriving from the north. With his far-seeing eyesight, he was the first to see Elladan and Elrohir leading the riders and carrying a banner of silver.

During the war, he and Elrond's twin sons had come to an uneasy truce, and they had even fought side by side. He knew that in their way they respected him for what he had voluntarily gone through with the Fellowship, but the friendship he had once enjoyed with them was still just a distant memory. They also had no idea that he was with child, as they had left to meet their father and sister, who were on their way to Gondor by way of Lothlorien, in early May.

Now, two months later, Legolas had been forced to resort to the more formal robes to cover his rapidly swelling stomach.

He felt a touch on his arm and turned to look at Aragorn - now King Elessar - who was viewing him with concern.

'It will be alright,' the former Ranger assured his friend with a smile. Legolas nodded numbly. Aragorn had made him agree to tell Elrond everything when he arrived. The trouble was that Aragorn did not even know what *everything* was. He had no idea that Legolas' son was also Elrond's. In fact he had never even met Jarab, as Legolas had been afraid the sharp eyed Ranger would discern the similarity between him and his foster father.

Gradually, the rest of the party came into view over the hill and Legolas saw many elves he knew, but it wasn't until the last few riders that he saw the sight he had been craving for. Riding between Arwen and another elf, Elrond sat tall and proud on a fine black steed. Legolas felt both a wave of desire and fear go through him. On one hand he longed to feel the lord's arms around him once more. On the other hand, he dreaded the conversation he must have with him, which could result in him never being in the other's arms again.

Then, with a start, his gaze became fixed on the all too familiar figure riding by Elrond's side.

'Who is that riding beside Elrond and Arwen?' asked Aragorn. 'I don't recognise him from Rivendell or Lothlorien.'

'That is because he is of Mirkwood,' replied Legolas in a hoarse voice. 'That is Jarab, my son.'

Legolas heard Gimli give a gasp as he realised the seriousness of the situation.

'But why is he with Elrond?' asked Aragorn, looking puzzled. As they came closer, the King scrutinised the figure more closely and suddenly an awareness came over his face. He turned to Legolas accusingly. 'I think there is something that you haven't told me, my friend,' he said coldly. 'And if Elrond hasn't worked it out yet, he soon will. Though the fact they are riding side by side seems to imply they already have.'

Legolas looked blankly at his friend, his heart beating wildly. He had hoped to have a chance to explain to his lover what had happened and why he had kept it from him in his own words. Now, it looked like he had been pre-empted.

At long last the riders arrived at the gates and, with a sharp look at Legolas, Aragorn strode forward to greet the riders. Though, once he stood next to Arwen, it appeared that the rest of the world disappeared as his dreams finally came true.

Smiling with a mixture of pleasure and pain at what this meant to his daughter, Elrond dismounted from his horse, allowing one of the guards to take the reins. He watched as Jarab did the same.

Elrond and his new found son had spent a large amount of time together since his unexpected arrival at Imladris, though only a few (which included Arwen and Glorfindel) knew the true state of affairs. Arwen had welcomed her half-brother with open arms. She was delighted to have another sibling, especially one so fair and, she soon discovered, with a temperament which matched her own. Both gentle, but with an underlying firmness that brooked no argument. Arwen knew her father was also pleased, yet she often caught him with a sad and sometimes wistful expression on his face. She guessed, correctly, that he was thinking of what might have been, had it not been for Legolas' brother's untimely death.

Jarab had not returned to Mirkwood despite his grandfather's urgent demands that he was needed to protect his realm. Jarab had known full well that King Thranduil would not put him at risk whilst Legolas' fate was still undecided, and so had taken the decision to stay in Rivendell and get to know his other father. As soon as the news had come through that Sauron was defeated and Legolas lived, there had been no stopping Jarab from travelling to Gondor with Elrond and Arwen. With mixed feelings he had met his half-brothers for the first time who, he knew from Arwen, had not been kind to Legolas.

At first, before they knew the truth, they had met him with suspicion. Then, after Elrond had revealed their kinship, they had gradually warmed to him once the shock had worn off. Now though, they looked at Legolas with narrowed eyes, brushing past him without greeting. They had promised their father they would not confront Legolas until he'd had a chance to speak with him. They could not, however, bring themselves to be courteous.

Elrond had been aware of his lover's eyes upon him since they had come into view. He saw him standing there uncertainly next to Gimli. Elrond, with little sympathy, could just imagine what was going through his mind.

He held back as he watched Jarab approach his father.

'Ada,' the younger elf said. For some reason he felt nervous as he stood in front of Legolas, his grey eyes noting that his father looked a great deal older than he should after a separation of a mere nine months. He had heard many tales of what the Fellowship had gone through, but only now did it finally hit home. Any animosity he had felt towards Legolas for keeping such a large secret from him quickly fell away. He was just glad that his father was alive. On impulse he hugged Legolas who, after he got over the surprise, hugged him back. Though he was careful to keep his stomach out of contact. That was something he would prefer not to have to explain in the courtyard in front of everyone.

As Jarab released him, Legolas felt the approach of Elrond. Keeping a hand on Jarab's shoulder, he turned to face his lover.

'Lord Elrond,' he said formally, suddenly taken back to that day many months ago in Elrond's study when he had felt just as apprehensive. So much had happened since then. 'I hope you have had a pleasant journey.'

'Prince Legolas,' Elrond replied in greeting, nodding his head. 'The journey was not without incident, for there are still orcs roaming the lands, but we were well prepared.' His eyes flicked quickly to Jarab. 'Your son is a fine fighter.' Legolas was well aware of the trace of irony in Elrond's voice. He turned back to Jarab.

'You know, don't you?' he said quietly. Jarab nodded his head.

'Mother...Alemi...told me the truth after she received your letter. After that I travelled to Rivendell...and resided there until we set out for Gondor.'

Legolas knew his son was leaving much unsaid, but saw that this was not the time for details.

'Perhaps you should show Lord Elrond to his chambers,' came a gruff voice from low down. 'I will look after Prince Jarab for you.' Legolas looked at Gimli in both surprise and gladness for the opportunity to speak to Elrond alone.

'Thank you very much, Gimli,' Legolas replied with a smile. 'Jarab, this is my very good friend Gimli, son of Gloin. He will show you to your quarters and perhaps give you a tour of the city.'

If Jarab felt any surprise at being left in the hands of a dwarf, he did not show it. He smiled graciously at Gimli. 'It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard many tales of your valour.'

Gimli nodded, taking an instant liking to the elf who was so much like his father. Side by side they headed off, chatting animatedly.

Silence fell as Elrond and Legolas watched the figures disappear into a building.

'If you would care to follow me,' Legolas finally said, his eyes fixed firmly away from his lover's.

Wordlessly, Elrond followed the blond elf, unable to help himself from admiring the graceful walk of his love. He was slightly surprised to see Legolas wearing the free flowing robes that he himself usually wore. He knew the other elf was not fond of them, preferring the utility of tunics and leggings. He assumed that Legolas must have decided the occasion demanded more formality than his usual attire.

All too soon, they reached the rooms that had been assigned to the Lord of Imladris. Legolas, shutting the door behind him, leaned on it, and studied the older elf.

'So how much do you know?' asked Legolas quietly.

Grey orbs looked at him, the surrounding face becoming hard.

'I have read the letter you sent your wife. I know that when you left me you were carrying my son,' he said coolly. 'I know that you kept him a secret from me for two hundred years. A fact which I find unforgivable.'

'I didn't know I was with child when I left,' Legolas said desperately. 'I only found out after I had married Alemi and it was too late.'

'You should still have told me!' Elrond replied angrily. 'I had a right to know.'

'I could not,' he said in despair. 'It would have been dishonourable to Alemi to admit such a thing. Besides, I did not wish to cause you more pain by knowing you had a son that my father would never allow you to see.'

'Why did you do it?' Elrond asked almost softly, the pain obvious in his voice. The question that had haunted him, yet he had never dared to ask, was finally wrenched from him. 'Why did you leave me and marry her?'  
Legolas shook his head, closing his eyes.

'I was grieving for my brother...we both were. My father made us believe it was the right thing to do. Of course it wasn't,' he said bitterly. 'He manipulated us, and for that I will never forgive him.'

'And what are your plans now? Will you return to Mirkwood?'

'I will never reside in Mirkwood again.' Legolas said firmly. He looked at Elrond inscrutably. 'As for the rest of my plans...they depend on you.'

'In what way?' asked the elven lord, suddenly dry-mouthed.

'You said you read the letter I wrote to Alemi and so you know my marriage is over. What I need to know is do you still care for me?'

Elrond's heart fluttered at the words and the faint plea he heard within them. It would be so easy to just say yes, but...

'I fear that too much history lies between us for our relationship to work,' he said sorrowfully. He walked over to the window, unable to look his love in the face. 'I fear I would not be able to forgive you for keeping my son from me for all these years.'

'You did not answer my question,' Legolas said, his voice steady, though his heart felt like it would break. 'I asked if you still care for me. You know I still love you.'

'Of course I still care for you,' the dark haired lord said raggedly. 'I have *never* stopped loving you. But it changes nothing. We were obviously not meant to be. Surely all the obstacles that have been in our path have taught you that?'

'I don't see it that way,' Legolas said quietly. 'I see it that despite all the obstacles and separations, we still love each other. Surely love that can survive so much is worth fighting for?'

'I do not know,' murmured Elrond, for once at a loss. He was startled when he felt a hand on his arm. He had not even heard the younger elf cross the room. He turned to look at Legolas, whose lovely face seemed full of hope. 'This quest has changed you,' he observed. 'Before you would never have opened your heart as you have now.'

'I have faced death too many times in these past months and my one regret was not telling you how I felt when I had the chance,' Legolas replied. His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered horrors past.

Elrond, not wishing to watch Legolas relive those experiences, did the only thing he could think of to bring him back to the present. He kissed him.

Suddenly there was no more need for words as their lips met in a hungry kiss. Elrond wrapped his arms around Legolas, pulling him close and delighting in feeling the slim body against him...and yet there was something wrong. Breathlessly he pulled away a little.

'I do believe you've put on weight!' he said teasingly. What he did not expect was the reaction he received from Legolas, who went white and pulled away from his lover. Elrond looked at him in dismay at what he thought was from the inappropriateness of his words. 'Do not fret,' he said. 'It was merely an observation. You have always been too thin anyway.'

'No, I am not offended,' Legolas said quickly. 'There is something I need to tell you. It is true I have put on weight, but it is not what you think. You see, the night we spent together before I left with the Fellowship was not without consequences.' Elrond stared at him as what Legolas was saying, sunk in.

'You mean...you're with child again? *My* child?' asked Elrond in disbelief. Legolas slowly inclined his head.

'In about six months we will have a daughter,' he said softly, gazing deeply into the other's eyes, awaiting his reaction and hoping it would be a positive one.

Slowly, Elrond brought a tentative hand up. Seeing his intention, Legolas quickly took his hand and guided it to his abdomen. Now, Elrond could clearly feel the rounded swelling and knew it was true.

'When did you find out?' he asked numbly.

'Galadriel told me when we came to Lothlorien. She assures me it is a girl.' Legolas waited apprehensively for Elrond to realise that he had carried on with the quest even after he had found out his condition. He did not have to wait long...

Elrond said nothing for a moment, but then darkness clouded his face as the realisation hit him. His hand dropped limply to his side.

'You knew before Helms Deep,' he said accusingly. 'Yet you still carried on and risked the life of our child.'

'It was not a decision I made lightly,' Legolas replied tightly. 'But my first duty was to Frodo and the Fellowship.'

Elrond suddenly felt very tired. 'I thought you had changed, but once again everything was more important than us.' he said sorrowfully. 'You could have died and once again would have deprived me of seeing another child grow up...and in the cruellest way possible.'

'But it never happened,' Legolas replied stubbornly. 'We both survived. You should be happy, not agonising over what might have been! Don't you see? We have been given a second chance. We can bring up this child together.'

Elrond looked at the pleading face on his lover.

'Then you will sail to Valinor with me?' he asked.

Legolas looked puzzled. 'I-I do not understand,' he said finally.

Elrond sighed and shook his head. 'Many years ago I foresaw that with the end of the one ring would also come the end of my own time in Middle-Earth. That time has now arrived and the call of the sea is almost overwhelming.' He looked with pity at the stunned face of his lover.

'I too have heard the call of the sea,' Legolas confessed. 'But I fought against it, as I did not wish to leave yet. There is still so much in Middle-Earth that I wish to see. Before this quest I had led a fairly insular life and it is only now I realise how much I have missed out on.'

'I take it that is a no then,' the noble lord replied sadly, yet with little surprise. He knew his own sons felt the same way and had expected little else from Legolas, who was much younger than them.

'When will you go?' asked Legolas apprehensively, straining to keep the overwhelming sadness from showing in his face.

'There is much to tie up before I can leave with a free conscience,' he admitted. 'It will be a year or two at least.'

'Then at least we have that,' Legolas replied quietly. 'That is if you would wish to spend the time you have left in Middle-Earth, with me.'

'You would accept that?' Elrond asked in surprise and disbelief. 'You would accept that I must leave soon and still stay with me until then?'

'I would rather spend a year or two with you than an eternity without you,' the golden haired elf said passionately. 'Don't forget, I will sail for Valinor one day - probably after Aragorn passes - and perhaps then we could be finally be together forever.'

'I would like that,' Elrond said almost brokenly. All his fears and anger left him. They were elves and had until the end of the world to be together. What was another hundred years of separation compared to that? However, until they were separated, he vowed to make the best of the time they had together. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden wince on his love's face. 'What's the matter?' he asked urgently.

'It's nothing,' replied Legolas with a small smile on his face and rubbing a hand across his stomach. 'It is just our daughter reminding me she is there.'

Elrond looked at him, thunderstruck. 'May I feel?' he asked softly. Legolas smiled and once again pressed the lord's hand to his stomach. He felt a gentle tapping under his palm.

'Did you feel that?' asked Legolas anxiously.

'Yes, I felt it,' Elrond replied softly. 'I felt our daughter.' Despite having been there throughout Celebrian's two pregnancies, this felt completely different. He didn't know if it was because she was conceived in love rather than duty, or whether it was because he loved Legolas so much. Not that it really mattered.

Legolas gently wiped away a tear that had formed at the corner of his lover's eye. 'Do not cry, melamin,' he whispered.

Elrond smiled and pulled Legolas into a warm embrace. 'I cannot help it,' he admitted softly. 'I am delighted that we have a second chance at happiness and yet sad that we must endure another long separation.'

'Do not dwell on that now,' chided Legolas. 'We have at least a year before you must go. Let us enjoy the present whilst we can.'

'I will try,' Elrond promised.

For a long time, they stood there without words. Just enjoying the feeling of being together with no barrier of lies or distrust between them. Eventually - and reluctantly - Elrond pulled away from his lover as a thought crossed his mind. 'Have you seen any healers recently about your condition?' he asked. As he expected, Legolas shook his head.

'Until you and your party arrived I was the only elf here. I did not think it would be wise to see a human healer as they are enough in awe of us already without being presented with the news that a male elf could carry a baby.'

'Then may I examine you?'

'Of course,' Legolas replied. After all Elrond was a skilled and powerful healer, and though he had never seen a male pregnancy before, it did not vary that much from females. Elrond took his hand and led him over to the bed, gesturing for Legolas to lie down. Trying to remain as clinical as possible, he undid the fastenings until the firm swell of his lover's stomach was revealed. Gently he probed and prodded and asked questions until he was satisfied that everything was fine. He shook his head in self-disgust as his attention was caught by the scar that had been left by the birth of their son.

'I'm supposed to be a great healer and yet I didn't realise what this was!' he commented.

'You had no reason to suspect,' Legolas replied. He closed his eyes in pain brought by fleeting memories. 'I wish you could have been there. I wish you could have seen Jarab grow up.'

'So do I,' Elrond replied. 'But you've done a fine job with him. He's grown up into a fine elf...one I'm proud to call my son.'

'Thank you,' Legolas said sincerely, his eyes bright. 'That means more to me than you could imagine.'

As Elrond stepped back from his examination, there was an awkward silence. No longer patient and healer, they were now confronted with the situation that Legolas was lying half-naked on Elrond's bed and neither sure what the other one wanted. Finally Legolas broke the silence.

'Is it safe to make love?' he asked, staring straight into his lover's eyes and refusing to be embarrassed.

'It should be,' responded Elrond, his pulse starting to race at the invitation in those blue eyes.

Legolas held out a hand. 'Then come and be with me,' he said softly. 'It's been too long since I have felt your touch.'

Without taking his eyes off the elf on his bed, he slowly removed his clothed and lay down next to his lover, helping him to remove the rest of his.

Their lovemaking was slow and passionate. Legolas lay spooned up against his lover's chest, his lover moving gently deep within him, one hand wrapped possessively around his stomach and the other stroking his lover's arousal in time with his thrusts. They climaxed together, and as Elrond slipped out of his lover's body, they both fell quickly into a light sleep. Finally there were no more lies and deceptions between them, only their love.

Chapter Nine - Conflicts and Resolutions

Elrond was woken up from a peaceful sleep, his beloved in his arms, by an urgent knocking at the door. He looked down at Legolas lying on his chest and was relieved to see the younger elf had not woken up. Judging by the dark circles he had noticed under his eyes, he did not think Legolas had been sleeping well recently. Quickly, yet gently, he disentangled himself and moved off the bed. Seeing a robe hung up behind the door, he put it on, tying it tightly around himself and opened the door, putting his body in the way so no one would see Legolas. He felt both guilty and embarrassed when he saw it was Jarab. Jarab, however, didn't look upset at all. In fact Elrond thought he could detect a rather smug smile on his face.

'Elrond,' he said - their relationship was not yet so close that he could call him anything else. 'Is my father here with you?' Jarab pointedly looked up and down at Elrond's state of attire.

'He is,' replied Elrond. It was not quite the way he had wished to announce his newly found relationship to their son, but he was not going to hide it.

Jarab's smile turned into a broad grin. 'I knew you would work it out!' he said delightedly. 'I'm so happy for you.'

'Thank you,' Elrond said. He then raised an eyebrow. 'Was there a reason you were looking for him?'

Jarab's suddenly frowned. 'I'm afraid so. An unexpected visitor has just been sighted coming into Minas Tirith.'

Elrond looked at him in confusion. 'Who is it?' he asked.

'My grandfather,' Jarab replied rather quietly. 'King Thranduil.'

Elrond stood there in shock for a moment until he was roused by his beloved's voice coming from behind him. He turned around to find his lover wrapped in a sheet and walking towards him.

'My father is here?' There was a slight tremble in Legolas' voice and he was almost as white as the sheet covering him. Elrond gestured for their son to come in and close the door whilst pulling Legolas into a comforting embrace. 'Why would he come here?'

Elrond and Jarab exchanged dismayed glances. This was something that Elrond had not yet had time to speak of with his young lover.

'I'm afraid it's mainly my fault,' said Jarab. 'Once I found out Elrond was also my father, I travelled to Rivendell. I stayed there despite repeated messages from grandfather to come home. Then...' he bowed his head, 'just before we set out for Minas Tirith I sent him a message saying that I had no intention of returning to Mirkwood. That I did not wish to be the heir to the throne.'

He looked up to see his father staring at him in disbelief.

'You cannot do that!' exclaimed Legolas. 'You are my heir.'

'You did it,' Jarab retorted.

'I had plenty of reasons!' Legolas replied angrily. He turned his accusing gaze to his lover. 'And you knew about this?' he demanded.

'We spoke about it yes,' Elrond replied levelly. 'Jarab now knows what Thranduil is capable of and so decided the best way to keep away from his manipulations was to never go back.'

Legolas sank down on the edge of the bed. 'And now he is here,' he said dumbly. His blue eyes found his lover's concerned grey orbs. 'Probably hoping to persuade both of us to return to Mirkwood.'

'I am so sorry,' Jarab said in a fit of recrimination. 'I should have just gone back when he asked. Now I've gone and brought more trouble to you.'

'No, you were right,' Legolas said, reaching out and taking his son's hand. 'I shouldn't have left you to cope with your grandfather. I should have taken you with me in the first place. I hope you can forgive me for that.'

Jarab looked at his father in surprise. 'There's nothing to forgive,' he said generously. 'I can understand why you were so desperate to get away.'

Legolas looked fondly at his son. 'I don't need to wonder where you get your forgiving nature from,' he said softly, turning his loving gaze to Elrond. Then he turned serious. 'My father will be here soon,' he stated grimly. 'I think we might as well get everything out in the open at once.' He turned to Jarab, who was looking startled and puzzled. 'Jarab, can you take your grandfather to the main reception room and get Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen and Aragorn there as well? We will be along as soon as we are ready.'

Jarab nodded and quickly left the room, though not trying to hide his confusion at the strange order. He had a feeling there were going to be some spectacular fireworks in the near future...

*********

Jarab looked around despairingly at the three irate faces belonging to his half-brothers and his grandfather and the calm, yet apprehensive faces of Arwen and Aragorn. Though, from the look on the Gondor King's face, he guessed that he knew more about what was going on than he did himself. Despite having just met Aragorn, he had heard much about him from Arwen and, in the brief time they had spent together, he had also been impressed by the quiet authority he exuded.

Jarab shifted uncomfortably, wishing his fathers would hurry up and get there, so his grandfather would have someone else to glare at. As soon as he had met Thranduil at the gate, he had been imperiously demanding that he return to Mirkwood whilst also demanding to be taken immediately to Legolas. Instead, Jarab had led him to a room that contained three of the Peredhil that he loathed.

Jarab was almost relieved when the door opened and Elrond and Legolas walked in hand in hand, even though he felt sure things were going to get loud, anything was better than this unnerving silence.

Legolas tightened the hold he had on his lover's hand. He may have decided on this course of action, but it did not mean he was looking forward to it. His gaze swept the room.

'Thank you for all agreeing to be here,' he said, his face calm and not betraying in the least his quaking nerves.

'Agree!' exclaimed Thranduil. 'I did not have a choice! I was brought in here and not allowed to leave.'

'Aye,' said Elrohir sullenly, giving his half-brother a disgusted glance. 'Jarab refused to let us go until we had listened to what you had to say.'

'Well it's nice to find there is actually someone you will listen to,' Elrond said dryly, looking reprovingly at the younger twin. 'But I would appreciate it if you would also listen to Legolas.'

Elrohir's eyes narrowed as he spotted the entwined hands of his father and Legolas. 'You've taken him back, haven't you?' he said accusingly. 'In spite of hiding your own son from you - our brother - and causing you years of heartache and misery. You've *still* taken him back.'

'I have,' replied Elrond quietly, his head held high, refusing to be ashamed.

'This is nonsense,' Thranduil said angrily. 'Legolas has a wife and he will come back to Mirkwood with me...and so will Jarab.'

'I'm not going back!' Jarab interjected, only to be quieted by a stern look from Legolas.

'I will handle this,' he said. He returned his gaze to Thranduil. 'Neither I nor my son will return to your cold and heartless realm. As for my wife, you know that my marriage is over and Alemi must accept that.'

'She already has,' Jarab said. 'It's why she told me about my real parentage.' He bowed his head. 'She told me she plans to go West as soon as the threat to Middle-Earth was ended. Her grief for my brother is all encompassing and I think she will only find peace in Valinor.'

Legolas nodded sadly. 'I miss him too, but he was the only son of her flesh and now there is nothing left for her here.'

'She is your wife,' Thranduil said almost desperately, feeling his son slipping away from him. 'You could give her another child.'

Legolas looked sorrowfully at his father. 'I love Elrond and he loves me. I won't allow you to split us up again.'

'And neither will I,' Elrond added.

Until this moment Aragorn had stood by listening, not wishing to interfere, but now he felt it was time they told their biggest secret.

'I believe there is something that you need to tell everyone,' he said smoothly, eliciting a surprised glance from his wife to be and her brothers.

'Yes, yes there is,' Legolas said slowly. 'Before I left Rivendell with the rest of the Fellowship I conceived another child.' He looked around at the stunned faces, before his blue eyes came to rest on Jarab. 'In six months time you will have a sister.'

'And Elrohir, Elladan and Arwen will have a half-sister,' Aragorn stated.

The siblings reactions were widely divergent. Whilst Arwen and Jarab could not contain their pleasure and were quickly congratulating the couple, Elrohir and Elladan looked at their father in horror.

'You slept with him back then before you even knew the truth?' Elladan asked incredulously. 'Why?'

'Because I still loved him then, as I love him now,' Elrond replied, staring defiantly at his twin sons He could not prevent himself from placing a protective hand over his beloved's stomach. 'And this is a miracle of which I am extremely proud.' Elrohir and Elladan were the first to drop their eyes and even looked a little ashamed. There was no need to tell them that Elrond was about to lose one daughter to a mortal life and so the miracle of a second meant an indescribable amount to him. The twins exchanged a single, dismayed glance.

They all jumped at the sound of Thranduil's outraged tones.

'I will not stay and listen to this travesty,' thundered Thranduil. 'Legolas, you are no longer my son. You are dead to me. Never show your face in Mirkwood again.' He turned to Jarab. 'This is your last chance. Return with me now and I will forgive you your disobedience. When the time comes, you will rule our kingdom in my stead.' He looked at the young elf expectantly.

Jarab shook his head slowly. 'I finally have a real family and that is worth far more to me than *anything* you can offer.'

Thranduil looked at his grandson in disbelief. Somehow he had always expected that Jarab being so young and relatively inexperienced would eventually submit. Now, looking at that icy determination in his eyes, he finally realised that this was truly a child of Elrond.

'Fine,' he said coldly. 'I don't know why I would want a Peredhil to run my kingdom anyway. The same goes for you as your father, never enter Mirkwood again or I will not be merciful.' With that parting shot he turned around and strode out of the room, not looking back.

As the door banged shut, Elrond felt his lover beginning to collapse against him. Quickly he helped him to a seat. 'Are you alright?' he asked urgently, crouching down next to him and stroking a hand through his blond hair.

'I'll be fine,' Legolas assured him weakly. 'It's just been a rather exhausting day. I just need some rest.' He flushed as he realised that everyone had gathered around him, all displaying identical concerned looks - even the twins. Before he could fathom it out, Jarab suggested that he would probably be better off lying down and offered to help him to his room. Elrond immediately demurred that he would look after Legolas, but then Elrohir put a hesitant hand on his father's arm and asked if he and Elladan could have a word with him in private.

Elrond looked to his lover and received a faint nod of approbation. Then he watched anxiously as Jarab and Aragorn aided Legolas out of the room, with Arwen trailing behind.

Reluctantly, Elrond turned to face his eldest children. 'If you have more words of dissension or disrespect towards Legolas to utter, I advise you to save your breath,' he said sternly. 'We have chosen our path and no one will disrupt it now.'

'That's not what I wanted to say,' Elrohir replied quickly, his eyes darting to his brother. 'I realise now how much Legolas means to you...and the daughter he carries. I also realise how much he must love you. It must have been hard for him to stand up against his father like that and to hear Thranduil banish him from his homeland. What I want to say is that I support you and Legolas.'

Elrond was extremely touched by the words from his son. He looked to Elladan. 'And what are our feelings on this matter?' he asked.

Elladan smiled faintly. 'As ever, my brother and I are in agreement. He just expresses himself more eloquently. All I can add that if Legolas makes you truly happy, then it would be foolish of me to disagree with your choice.'

'Thank you,' Elrond said, his mood lightened. 'And do not forget that not only will I have a new daughter, but you will have a new sister who will need her brothers!' He could not help but chuckle as he saw by their expressions of surprise and delight, that they had not thought that far.

'That's if Legolas will let us near her after the way we have treated him,' Elladan said, a faint frown shadowing his pleasure.

'I'm sure he will be happy to hear that you are ready to accept him as part of the family,' Elrond assured his sons. 'Though I do not think it will hurt to repeat to him what you have said to me.'

'We will,' promised Elrohir. A sly smile crossed his face. 'Perhaps we will leave it until tomorrow. I'd hate to get in the way of your...reunion. Or was that why he was so exhausted just now?'

Elrond was mortified to discover his son could still make him blush. 'That is none of your business,' he said, though he could not hide a smile at the teasing he had never expected from Elrohir concerning him and Legolas. It was what finally convinced him that they would accept their love. 'Now if you will excuse me, I want to make sure that Legolas is well.' He hurried from the room, determinedly ignoring the wry smiles his son's were giving him. Finally, all was well with the world...well except for Thranduil and his temper tantrums. Frankly, he believed Legolas was better off without his father. He just hoped Legolas felt the same way.

Chapter Ten - Beginning of the End

Legolas watched with joy as his young daughter, Nimowen, took her first few faltering steps across the grass. She toddled from Elrond to Elladan and the latter gave a yell of triumph as he swept the golden-haired, giggling elfling in his arms.

'Who's the clever girl?!' Elladan demanded in a laughing tone, swinging her around. 'Elrohir and Jarab are going to be so jealous that they missed this.'

They were picnicking by the river, as it was such a hot, sunny day. Just the four of them. Elrohir and Jarab had ridden out earlier in the day to check out some trouble on the borders.

Elrond stood up and watched indulgently as his eldest child played with his youngest. He started slightly as he felt familiar arms slip around his waist, then he leaned back, content.

It had been an idyllic couple of years. The bittersweetness of joining Arwen with the man she love had been greatly tempered by the arrival of his and Legolas' daughter. Of course, nothing could replace Arwen in his affections, but she had made her choice and was as pleased as he was that there was another to ease his pain a little.

Elrond had been a little worried about the impending birth of their daughter. He had delivered countless female elves' babies - including his three with Celebrian - and had occasionally had to cut them out when the baby was too large or awkwardly placed. This, however, was slightly different...and involved the one he loved. He had been surprised, yet very relieved, when the healer who had attended Legolas during his first pregnancy, arrived in Imladris from Mirkwood.

It appeared that Thranduil had relented a little from his initial stance, and has sent the healer to make sure Legolas was properly cared for. Most had assumed this was an overture to improving relations, but Jarab was heard to mutter darkly more than once that it was more likely he didn't want to risk losing a potential heir who might *still* be influenced by him. Legolas had merely sent a formal message thanking his father; preferring to just accept it and not read too much into it.

For Elrond, this lifted a great weight from his shoulders, and when it came to the birth, he was able to act like a father instead of a healer.

One thing that had been enlightening was when Legolas asked the healer why he had told him he could not bear any more children. The healer had shuffled around a bit and looked embarrassed, but had eventually admitted he had been ordered to do so by King Thranduil.

'Why ever would he lie about something like that?' Legolas had wondered aloud once he and Elrond were alone.

'I have no idea,' Elrond had replied. 'Who knows what is going on in your father's mind?'

'It's slightly ironic that he actually ended up doing us a favour,' Legolas had smiled. 'After all, if I'd known I could still get pregnant, I would never have risked making love with you just before I left on the quest...'

'And our daughter would not be growing inside of you right now,' Elrond had finished softly, placing a protective hand on his lover's large stomach. 'It seems we do have something to thank Thranduil for after all. No matter how unintentional it was.'

'He has done us far more harm than good,' Legolas had replied with a frown. 'I'm not sure I can ever forgive the things he has said and done not just to us but to Alemi and Jarab.'

'Do you think you will invite him here when our daughter is born?' Elrond had asked. It was a subject they had avoided up until this point.

Legolas had looked pensive for a moment before nodding his head reluctantly. 'I will not stoop to his level and keep his grandchild from him if he wishes to see her. I doubt he will accept.'

So, after the birth, the invitation had been sent and, surprisingly, accepted. Thranduil had been far more subdued than his son had ever seen him. It seemed he had had time for a fair amount of reflection and realised what he had lost through his own stubbornness and machinations.

He had smiled when he had seen the golden blonde hair so like his own of the then three month old child. His lips had only pursed slightly when Nimowen had opened her eyes to reveal the silvery grey orbs that revealed her other parent. He had wisely refrained from any comment.

After that, communication between Imladris and Mirkwood had improved, though Jarab still refused to forgive his grandfather for stealing from him all those years he could have spent with his true family.

The little girl had brought a new lease of life to the whole household at Imladris at a time when many were contemplating leaving to cross the sea. Elladan, especially, doted on his half-sister and spent as much time with her as possible.

'Here, take your daughter! Some of us have work to do!'

Elrond was shaken from his musings when Elladan thrust Nimowen into his arms with that playful comment. Over the past year, all three of his sons had gradually taken over the running of Imladris. This had left Elrond more time to spend with his lover and their new daughter, which he greatly appreciated. However, it did have a more depressing undertone. It meant that he no longer needed to be there.

Galadriel was impatient to leave Middle-Earth and return to her true home, but would not leave without Elrond and Gandalf. Many years previously, the wearers of the three rings of power had agreed to leave together. A promise not to be broken.

Any day now, Elrond expected Gandalf to arrive at Rivendell and inform him it was time to leave.

He knew Legolas watched him anxiously, especially when he caught him staring towards the west almost in a trance. Elrond felt he was being torn in two, with his desire to be with his family, and his conflicting need to cross the sea.

***********

It was but a few days after the picnic that Gandalf appeared.

He had been greeted with faked smiles and false greetings. Gandalf wasn't fooled. He knew what he was doing. He was aware his arrival was the beginning of the end and so he had left it as long as possible. But now it was time to go.

That night, Legolas entered the chamber he shared with Elrond after checking on Nimowen. He had barely spoken during dinner and Elrond could tell from the way he was twisting his hands together and the look on his face, that he had something he wanted to say. Elrond sat down on the bed and gestured for Legolas to join him. Legolas sat down, his body turned to face his lover, his eyes regarding him seriously.

'What is it, my love?' Elrond probed gently.

'You will leave soon.' It was a statement, not a question.

'Yes,' Elrond acknowledged quietly.

'And I have accepted that. It's how it must be.' He hesitated.

'Yet there is something else? I can see it in your eyes.'

Legolas looked at him gravely and then smiled slightly. 'I can hide little from you these days...I wish it had always been so. Yet that is old ground which I do not wish to go over again. But yes, there is something I wish you to do for me.'

'Anything if it is within my power,' Elrond promised.

'I-I want you to take Nimowen with you,' Legolas said suddenly, looking at his lover anxiously

Elrond was stricken. 'I cannot do that to you,' he gasped. 'I know how much you love her.'

'And I know you love her just as much,' Legolas replied. He lowered his eyes, looking ashamed. 'This is not all for your benefit. I am being selfish as well. I do not wish to give her the chance to choose a mortal life which she would have if she remained here. I know how much you suffer at the thought of losing Arwen and I cannot bear the thought of that...or the thought of you having to go through that again.'

'That is not selfish,' Elrond replied in surprise. 'It is unnatural for one's children to die before you in human terms and it is even harder to bear for so-called immortals like us. You already know the pain of losing a son - at least Arwen still lives - so I understand your concern. But I do not know if it is fair to take that choice away from her.'

'I do not care,' Legolas said strongly. 'I will not lose her.'

'Yet she will not be in your life until you sail the sea,' Elrond reminded him gently. 'You will miss her formative years.'

Legolas sighed and rubbed a hand across tired eyes. 'It will be worth it to know she is safe and that she is with you,' he replied. 'We will have the rest of our lives to spend together when I join you.'

'And this is what you truly want?' Elrond asked seriously.

'Yes, it is.'

'Then I will take Nimowen with me.' The pronouncement was greeted with silence. It was what Legolas wanted, but it was still difficult for him.

Much later, they lay together in the dark, when Elrond broke the silence.

'Will you stay here? In Imladris?'

'No,' replied Legolas almost immediately. 'It would be torture to live here without you. I have spoken with Aragorn about this matter and he suggested setting up a new community of elves in Ithilien. I'm sure there are many elves within my father's realm who would be pleased to resettle away from his firm grasp.'

'It sounds like a good idea,' Elrond agreed.

'And Gimli has settled at the Glittering Caves, so I will also be close to him,' Legolas continued, his voice wavering slightly.

'That will be an advantage.'

'Thus I will be close to many of my friends and be able to see more of Middle-Earth...which I have always wanted.' His voice was even more wavery.

'It all sounds like an excellent plan.'

'Then tell me something,' Legolas half-sobbed. 'Why do I feel as if my heart is breaking?'

Elrond gathered the shuddering form in a tight embrace, feeling his own tears threatening. He tried to think of some words of comfort and yet nothing would come to mind. 'I love you,' he finally ended up saying, knowing it was totally inadequate.

'And I love you,' his lover whispered between sobs.

Gradually Legolas quietened, the shuddering dying down until the even breathing told Elrond he was asleep. Only then did he let his own tears fall. He wished everything could be different but could see no way of changing it.

********

The next day they informed Elrohir, Elladan and Jarab of their decisions.

'No!' exclaimed Elladan, sending an distressed look towards Nimowen who beamed back at him, not understanding the events that were unfolding. 'You can't seriously mean to take her away from us...from Legolas.'

'It was my choice,' Legolas said unhappily, almost flinching as three pairs of accusing grey eyes stared at him. 'She will be better off with your father in Valinor.'

'Better off than she would be here, with you and her three brothers?' Elrohir demanded disbelievingly.

'I won't be here,' Legolas replied. 'I plan on moving to Ithilien as soon as I can arrange it.'

'And what about me?' Jarab asked, his tone low, yet almost mocking. 'Have you made plans for *me* as well?'

'Jarab, you are well past your majority.' Legolas said levelly. 'Of course, I would be pleased if you wished to come with me, but it is your decision.'

'Then I choose to stay here...with my brothers.' Jarab replied immediately.

It broke Legolas' heart to hear those words, but it had been what he was expecting. The three brothers had formed a strong bond despite Jarab being so much younger. 'I thought you would,' was all Legolas said, though his face gave away a little of the sadness this brought him.

Three days later found them gathered in a group at the gate for the farewells that meant they would not be together again for many years. Elladan was hugging Nimowen so tightly that she was protesting. Elrond and Legolas faced each other, gripping each other's hands and just staring. Hardly believing that this moment had finally arrived.

'It's not so long,' said Legolas in a strained voice, not quite sure whom he was trying to convince. 'We survived two hundred years apart, a hundred years or so should pass quickly.'

'It cannot pass quickly enough,' Elrond replied fervently, his grey eyes shining with held back tears. Legolas, himself, blinked back the tears furiously that were threatening to blur his last memory of his lover.

All too soon Gandalf had mounted his horse and was seen to be waiting patiently for Elrond to finish his good-byes. They were to meet up with Galadriel on the way.

Reluctantly, Elrond removed himself from Legolas' embrace and gave each of his son's a final hug, as Legolas held his daughter for the last time. Then, he swung himself up onto his horse and took Nimowen from his lover's arms, placing her in front of him. The little elfling seemed to have no idea of the gravity of the situation as she laughed in delight at the novelty of being on horseback. Elrond leant down one last time and stroked the soft cheek of his beloved. 'I will be waiting,' he said softly.

'Just do not forget me,' Legolas half-choked out.

'Never,' Elrond vowed. 'I will think of you every day until we are reunited.'

'And I you,' Legolas returned. Legolas gave one last longing look at his lover and daughter before stepping back so they could depart.

As Elrond rode out of the gate with Gandalf and the rest of their retinue, he did not look back for fear his resolve would fail at the last moment. Thereby sparing himself the sight of seeing Legolas fall to his knees as his emotions finally overtook him.

 

Chapter Eleven - Reunion

Legolas stood at the prow of the great grey ship he had built, his fair hair fluttering in the sea-breeze. His sharp blue eyes stared out, ever searching for that elusive first sight of land and the first sight of his lover.

More than 120 years had passed since he had bade his beloved and their daughter farewell. At some times it had seemed to be interminable, but now the time of reunion was nearly at hand, it appeared to have slipped by in an instant.

Not a day had gone by in which he had not thought of the elf that held his heart and yet the years had not been without happiness. In some ways they had been the most fulfilling of his life.

The community of elves he had helped set in Ithilien had thrived under his governance. It seemed ironic to him that where once he had rejected ruling in his father's realm, he had come to rule over many of the same elves that had also rejected Mirkwood and Thranduil.

Legolas briefly wondered what his father was doing now. Slowly they had rebuilt the bridges between them and he believed Thranduil had finally come to accept him for who he was, rather than for what he wanted him to be. It had almost been a tearful parting when he had ridden to Mirkwood to inform his father that he was leaving for Valinor. Well almost. Perhaps that was more wishful thinking than anything else, after all no one changes their entire attitude overnight.

'When do you think you will sail?' he remembered asking his father.

Thranduil had looked at him uncertainly. 'I am not sure I will,' he had replied. 'I am a true woodland elf and this is my home. Valinor holds little attraction for me.'

Legolas had been surprised at how much this had upset him. Many had been the time when he had wished he would never have to see his father again, but faced with the fact becoming a reality, he found he did not like it.

'I will be waiting for you,' Legolas had finally said. Thranduil had merely nodded his head and changed the conversation to another subject. They had not mentioned Jarab who, it seemed, was far more stubborn than even his grandfather and had never set foot in Mirkwood since their banishment.

'It won't be long now,' came a gruff voice from behind Legolas, making him turn from his vigil of the sea. He turned to face the dwarf whose hair was now grey and visage old. It had taken Legolas much persuasion to get Gimli to spend what little time he had left, in Valinor. He sometimes thought it was not his friendship that brought him, but the dwarf's wish to once more gaze on the beauty of Galadriel.

'And how can you be sure of that?' Legolas asked in an amused voice. 'Have you sailed this way before?'

Gimli accepted the tease with grace.

'Of course not! Yet even I know that birds do not fly far from land.' He pointed up in the sky and Legolas saw a small creature swooping in the sky.

'My apologies, Master Dwarf. I'm afraid I was so concentrated on looking for land that I did not think to look for other signs.'

Gimli gave a curt nod. 'Well, at least it means I won't have to look at your moping face for much longer. Lord Elrond is sure to be waiting at the dock for you.'

'Do you really think so?' asked Legolas anxiously. 'It has been so long...' He could not stop the doubt showing on his face. Who knew what changes had occurred whilst he was still residing in Middle-Earth? Perhaps Elrond had taken one look at Celebrian and forgotten all about him!

'We'll soon know,' Gimli replied prosaically, not helping Legolas' nervousness at all. 'As I said, it won't be long now.' Showing more tact than the elf thought the dwarf was capable of, he left him to his thoughts.

Of course, Elrond was not the only one he was looking forward to seeing. He could barely wait to see what sort of elf-maiden Nimowen had grown into. Plus, Elrohir and Elladan had sailed ten years earlier. They had wanted to wait until King Elessar had passed, but both their sea longing and their sister's behest has persuaded them to go. To his delight, Jarab had decided to stay with him in Ithilien, and even now was on the same ship. Imladris was now empty of elves, as was Lothlorien. Only Mirkwood and Ithilien still thrived.

On his way back from Mirkwood after seeing his father for the last time, he had detoured to Rivendell to take one, final look at the place he had been happiest. It had chilled him to see the empty buildings and the neglected gardens which had once been so beautiful. Only ten years had passed since the last residents had left and yet nature had already reclaimed much of it. It had been a mistake going back. It was time to look forward.

So look forward he did, and he could not contain a shout as his piercing eyes made out a dark shadow in the distance. Almost instantly Jarab was at his side.

'Can you see it?' he demanded excitedly, pointing towards the horizon.

'Yes, yes, I can see it!' Jarab replied, equally excited.

They both watched in silence as the shadow grew in shape and texture and slowly began to separate into colours. Legolas became aware he was holding onto his son's shoulder tightly, but he could not let go. He needed something reliable to hold on to.

********

The light was beginning to fade as they finally docked. Legolas and Jarab had been forced to give up their place at the prow of the ship to take care of more mundane things such as packing. Neither wanted to spend a single moment more than was necessary on board.

Nevertheless, they were not the first elves to disembark and the dock was fairly swarming by the time they did. Anxiously, Legolas looked around for someone he recognised, relaxing a little when he spotted Elladan coming towards him.

'Legolas! Jarab! It's good to see you.' Elladan said heartily, matching the words with strong handshakes. 'I thought for a moment I wouldn't be able to find you.'

'Where's Elrond?' said Jarab, asking the question that Legolas did not have the courage to raise.

'Oh, I'm sure he's here somewhere,' Elladan replied quite blithely, waving a hand in the air. He could not quite hide a smirk.

'Elladan...' Jarab said warningly. 'Don't tease Ada.'

'I honestly don't know. I lost him in amongst all these elves. Honestly, he's been terrible the last few days. Ever since grandmother told him you were on your way.'

Legolas let out a sigh of relief. It didn't *sound* like Elrond had changed his mind about them.

Suddenly there was a parting in the crowd. Legolas' heart stopped as he saw his grey-eyed lover. Standing next to him was a tall, fair she-elf.

Slowly he made his way towards them. They were not yet aware of him, and he could see Elrond agitatedly scanning the crowds. He got to within three steps of him, when his lover saw him.

'Greetings,' he forced out through a dry throat.

'Legolas,' breathed Elrond, the love unmistakable in his face.

All Legolas' doubts and fears left as both he and Elrond moved forward and clasped hands and stare into each other's eyes, not quite believing that they were finally together again - and for good this time. There was no need for words as they drew together, bodies melding, lips meeting hungrily. Now was not the time to speak of what had finally brought Legolas to Valinor - the death of Aragorn and the beginning of the end for Elrond's firstborn daughter - that was something to speak of later, when they were alone and could grieve properly.

A high, slightly amused voice interrupted their reunion:

'Are they always like this?'

As they reluctantly drew apart, Legolas realised that Jarab, Elrohir and Elladan had found them and that the fair elf at Elrond's side had been addressing them.

It was Elladan that answered with a short laugh. 'Believe me this is quite tame, sister! You should be thankful that your bedroom is nowhere near theirs.'

Legolas blushed. This was not the way he had envisaged meeting his fully grown daughter. Sensing his discomfort, Elrond gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand tightly. With his other, he grasped his daughters hand and drew her forward.

'Nimowen, this is your other father, Legolas.'

'I certainly hope so,' she said in a warm voice, her eyes dancing with mischief. 'I would hate to think you would greet any other elf in that fashion!'

Legolas inwardly groaned. He had always assumed Elladan and Elrohir had got their strange sense of humour from Celebrian, as Jarab did not have it. Now he knew it was all Elrond's fault. It also made him wonder what the half-elf had had to deal with over the years, as it was apparent that his beloved daughter was quite a handful!

'It is good to see you again,' he said in a quiet voice, fighting to keep his voice steady. 'You were just a little elfling when your father took you across the sea. Now you are full grown and more lovely than I could imagine.' Not for the first time, he wondered how much his lover had told her of his decision to let her go with Elrond and how she felt about it. Whatever she had been told, it appeared she did not hold a grudge as she allowed herself to be embraced. When they parted, Legolas realised Jarab was waiting impatiently by his side. Reluctantly he let her go, allowing Jarab to take his place.

'And this is your brother, Jarab,' Elrond said. Jarab smiled at her nervously.

Nimowen looked at him critically. 'You don't look much like our brothers,' she remarked.

Elrond smiled. 'That's because he looks exactly like you.' And it was true, the brother and sister, with their fair hair and grey eyes, could almost have been mistaken for twins.

'It's good to see you again, Nimowen,' he said sincerely. 'I have missed you greatly and I look forward to hearing all about the years I have missed.'

'I have already heard plenty about you from Elladan and Elrohir,' Nimowen said with a devilish smile. 'But I'm sure you're not as bad as they made out!'

Jarab turned and gave his brothers a mock glare as they smirked back at him. 'I'm sure more than half that they've told you was pure fiction,' he declared. 'However, I have plenty of tales about these two that will more than make up for that!' It was his turn to smirk as the twins own faded and they started to look faintly worried.

'I don't think anything you have to tell will shock Nimowen quite as much as her news for you and Legolas,' Elladan replied, obviously hoping to direct the attention away from him and Elrohir.

'Yes, there is more we have to tell you,' Elrond said to Legolas after shooting Elladan a warning look. 'I would have preferred a little more time, but Elladan seems to have pre-empted me.' Legolas felt a claw of worry at the trace of apprehension in his lover's face. He watched numbly as Elrond beckoned forward a familiar blonde he had not noticed hovering in the background.

'Haldir,' he greeted politely, though with no real warmth. There was no love lost between him and the arrogant Marchwarden. Haldir had never forgiven him for daring to take the place of his Lady's daughter in Elrond's affections. Thus, he was slightly puzzled about what the taciturn, former Lothlorien guard was doing being involved in this intensely family moment. He didn't have to wonder long.

Nimowen smiled at Legolas and then said: 'Father, I would like to present my husband.'

'Husband?' breathed Legolas, looking at Haldir in disbelief and then back at Nimowen. 'You're married?' He turned to Elrond, glaring. 'How could you let this happen?' he demanded. 'She is but a child and Haldir is thousands of years older than her!'

'I am not a child!' his daughter said hotly, her temper flaring. 'I'm well past my majority, and besides, you're much, much younger than Ada.'

'That has nothing to do with it! I was a good deal older when I met Elrond,' replied Legolas angrily.

'But not necessarily more mature,' Elrohir put in. 'Nimowen and Haldir have been married five years and they're very happy together. That's longer than you and Ada ever managed.'

Jarab, who had never met Haldir previously and so had no prejudices against him, was looking faintly hurt. 'Surely you could have waited for me and Ada to arrive before getting married?' he said to Nimowen. 'We have missed so much of your life already...'

Haldir, who had been keeping diplomatically quiet until this point, visibly flinched at these words. 'I'm afraid we could not wait,' he said to Jarab almost apologetically. 'You see, we have a daughter...'

'A daughter?' interrupted Legolas, his blue eyes flashing with displeasure at this latest piece of news. 'You mean...?' Unable to finish the sentence, he gazed helplessly at Haldir, who nodded, looking faintly ashamed. 'I cannot believe this!' he declared. 'Here I was expecting a happy family reunion and what do I find? One nasty surprise after another!' He looked reproachfully at his lover. 'It would seem I made a huge mistake letting Nimowen stay with you. If she has stayed with me, none of this would have happened.'

'But I am happy,' interjected Nimowen with a frown. 'I love Haldir and we have a beautiful daughter, your *granddaughter*.'

Legolas however, was not listening, as he saw the hurt in Elrond's face that he had caused with his words. He instantly regretted his outburst. He had spent years yearning for his lover and yet was now letting the fact that his daughter was as stubborn as himself when it came to love, cause a rift between them.

'I didn't mean that,' he said repentantly, everyone else fading into the background. 'I was just a bit surprised, that's all. I know you are a wonderful father.'

'But not always as wise as I pretend,' Elrond said dryly. 'Nor capable of stopping my daughter doing things that are not necessarily the best for her.'

Legolas knew that Elrond was not just thinking of his youngest daughter at that point. He gripped his beloved's hand and squeezed it tightly, then he turned to Nimowen and Haldir. 'I'm sorry...I overreacted. It's just a lot to take in at once,' he apologised. They both smiled in relief. Legolas held out to Haldir the hand that was not held by Elrond. 'Welcome to the family,' he said as Haldir took it.

*******

It was much later that night after everyone else had retired, that Legolas and Elrond were to be found, sitting in opposite armchairs either side of the fire. They surveyed each other silently.

It was only then that Elrond finally spoke of Arwen.

'How was she?' he said quietly. There was no question about whom he was speaking.

'She was well,' Legolas replied uncomfortably. He had no wish to lie to his lover, but also had no wish to cause him further pain. 'She loved Aragorn until the end and ruled beside him with fairness and grace. She brought up Eldarion well and he will be an admirable ruler.'

'Did she have any message for me?'

'No, no message.' The golden haired elf looked out the window, unable to meet his lover's piercing gaze. The truth was that Arwen had realised too late the cruelty of mortality. That, and the loss of her husband, had so overwhelmed her that she had not even wished to think of those who still had the gift she had thrown away. None of this could Legolas bear to tell his beloved.

'I am glad that she was well,' Elrond said with a finality that made Legolas realise that he, at least partly, understood what could not be said.

Legolas stood up and held out his hand. 'I think it's time we retired. It's been a long day.'

'It's been a long 120 years,' the dark haired elf replied darkly, as he stood up and accepted his lover's hand. Desire showed on his face. 'Unless you are too tired?'

'I would never be too tired for you,' Legolas replied fervently, an answering desire showing. 'And you never know, if Elbereth wishes it, perhaps we will be granted more children. Children that we can actually bring up together.'

'I would like that,' Elrond replied slowly. 'If it is what you want as well?'

'It's what I want,' Legolas assured him solemnly. They drew together for a kiss that was an affirmation of their words. At last they were ready to begin their new lives together.

THE END


End file.
